Ucav System And Its Life-cycle Cost

Uninhabited combat air vehicle (UCAV) is a new kind of weapon system, and is also the hot research area in the current aviation world. The system has a very important characteristic that not only the effectiveness of the UCAV has a good potential to develop along with the advancement of the modern science and technology, but also the life cycle cost of UCAV also has a great predominance over that of the manned combat aircraft. Because of the unique concept of the operation and support of UCAV, the cost of the operation and support of UCAV is only a fraction of that of the manned combat aircraft, which means UCAV has a cost predominance over that of the manned combat aircraft because the operation and supporting cost is always the main part of the life cycle cost of the manned combat aircraft. Compared with the manned combat aircraft, UCAV not only omits many systems and equipment which are necessary to the manned combat aircraft, but also is the integration of the existing advance technology, thus the acquisition unit cost of UCAV can not be higher than that of the manned combat aircraft with similar performance. As a whole, the life cycle cost of UCAV is much less than that of the manned combat aircraft.The thesis mainly includes four parts:1. Based on the concerned literature of UCAV, UCAV weapon system is analyzed and discussed in detail. UCAV weapon system is a new kind of weapon system, consists of three parts: UCAV, communication networks, and mission control station. A figure describing the whole weapon system is established. Then the three main constitution parts of the system are described in detail, according to the constitution, function, and work principle. Various critical technology of UCAV are also discussed including concept design technology, communication technology, mission control station technology and the technology for simplifying operation and supporting mission for further lowing the life cycle cost of UCAV weapon system.2. According to the concerned literature, the current UCAV is first applied to attack surface object mainly to suppress enemy air deference (SHAD), therefor a UCAV concept design for the purpose of SHAD is completed. Di fferent from usual airplane design, this concept design begins with the airplane top level design.Firstly a figure describing the relationship between the effectiveness and 1 ii'e cycle cost is established. According to the relationship and the characteristic of UCAV, the main concept of UCAV for SMI) is established. Then the main characteristic of UCAV is established, based on which a UCAV concept design is completed.3. The main characteristic of UCAV is compared with the manned combat aircraft, the distinct life cycle cost predominance over manned combat aircraft. Therefore the establishment of UCAV life cycle cost model, doing analysis of UCAV life cycle cost, and finally designing a low life cycle cost UCAV weapon system is the main content of UCAV concept design. According to the main concept of the UCAV, a life cycle cost model for UCAV is established using various cost estimating methods. The usual airplane life cycle cost model and usual cost estimating methods is described. The cost breakdown structure of UCAV is established. In the situation of small sample estimation, Partial Least-Square Regression (PLS) method is used for establishing the cost model of UCAV airframe. According to the characteristic of UCAV, the development cost model and production cost model of the engine and electronic equipment of UCAV are used directly from relative literature. The operation and supporting cost model is established using cost factor method. Finally the accuracy of various cost estimating methods is compared.4. A set of quadratic regression orthogonal mathematical models are established using quadratic regression orthogonal design method. The models are used to substitute airplane design software on the optimization of airplane concept design, which the object function is the minimum of airframe research and production cost. The results show that the method is suitable at the level of airplane concept design, and the method can be more powerful and flexible than those ordinary airplane design software whose capability of optimization are not so powerful.The paper has done some basic research and discussion of UCAV, yet UCAV is a new kind of weapon system comprising many subjects and many complicate high technologies. The solution of many other important subjects needs further work.