A model for the analysis of aew and cap aircraft availability

As a carrier taskforce proceeds into an operating area it becomes necessary to launch Anti‐Air Warfare (AAW) aircraft, including Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and possibly Combat Air Patrol (CAP) units. The number of aircraft launched depends on the degree of AAW coverage desired, the time period to be covered, and the availability of aircraft. The principal factors determining the availability of aircraft for such employment are the composition of the aircraft complement and the adequacy of the maintenance facilities. This paper presents an analytical model describing the maintenance operation aboard an aircraft carrier. The model is sufficiently general to permit the evaluation of a wide variety of aircraft types and employment schemes. The model was applied to determining: (1) the maximum feasible airborne complement of AEW and CAP aircraft; and (2) the effect of various intra‐carrier and intercarrier cycling operations in task forces containing more than one carrier. For each of these two examples, the output of the model is a probability distribution of the number of a given type of aircraft that are airborne as a function of time in the operating area. A maximum feasible airborne complement is obtained by assuring that the probability that the full complement is maintained remains about a given standard over the period of the operation. The effect of inter‐carrier coordination is measured by the size of the maximum feasible airborne complement under various situations. Other applications for which the model would be useful are the measurement of sensitivity of AAW aircraft availability to variations on the parameters of maintenance process, and the evaluation of the effect of maintenance limitations of the AAW coverage as requirements increase during the later stages of an operation.