Adaptive Discrete Event Simulation for Analysis of Harpy Swarm Attack

Harpy swarm attacks are a new type of threat designed for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. Research into combating Harpy swarm attacks has been conducted but the simulation software used to date, Naval Simulation System, is inadequate for future research. A new and mission-focused simulation tool is necessary in order to advance research in defensive tactics against Harpy and other unmanned aerial vehicle threats UAV. This research develops a simulation model for a Harpy swarm attack using Simkit to meet the need for a mission specific analytical tool. The base model consists of a user-defined Harpy patrol area and a ship traversing the area on a course and speed also defined by the user. A total of 16 parameters are defined and implemented. The model records the time any Harpy impacts the ship to provide data for the response variable, the number of Harpy hits on the ship. Main effect and full factorial regressions were performed as well as a partition tree to determine which parameters had the most significance on the number of Harpies which hit the ship. These model characteristics and future enhancements will provide researchers the ability to assess alternative anti-UAV swarm tactics.