Locating Direction Finders Optimally under Risk of Detection

• Published in: Statistics, optimization & information computing Vol. 6; no. 2; p. 219
• Main Author: Kim, Suhwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hong Kong International Academic Press (Hong Kong) 2018
• Subjects: Algorithms; Formulations; Jamming; Model testing; Optimization; Radio frequency; Risk management; Transmitters
• ISSN: 2311-004X; 2310-5070; 2310-5070
• DOI: 10.19139/soic.v6i2.399

The military uses direction finders (DFs) to determine the locale of enemy forces by estimating the positions of their transmitters, which emit radio frequencies. This paper considers the problem of locating DFs with the goal of maximizing the accuracy with which transmitter positions can be estimated in a target area while managing the expected number of DFs that will not be detected by the enemy. Once detected, a DF is subject to jamming or attack by the enemy. This paper presents six models, each appropriate for a different battlefield situation. It casts three models as network flow problems and presents an efficient label-setting algorithm to solve them. The remaining formulations represent novel applications of the Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) to deal with the probability of DF detection. Computational tests compare model solutions.