Master thesis in Aerospace System Eng

[Payam30]

Hi,
It's my turn to perform my thesis in Aerospace system engineering which contain mostly Linear/nonlinear optimization , Operation research , optimal control and automatic control (linear and nonlinear). I got an assignment which simply asks for the optimal way of controlling a number of unmanned jetfighters given that they should at the same time cover most area of which is expected. These jets might get company of the "enemies" fighter and they should redistribute to avoid any harms and at the same time continue with their mission. and ofcourse it things get messy they are allowed to come back to the base.
This was one of the scenarios I could work on but my super wiser wants a idea from myself. Any suggestion that maybe I could work on instead of this assignment. What would I like to do, he asks. And honesly I only studied my school books. I have no idea how jets distribute when flying to missions. I don't know what they are allowed to do and what kind of permission the system gives to the pilots. How do I detect enemies and how they avoid it.

If anybody can help me with coming up with a suggestion I would be very greatful.
And If someone can suggest a book that matters this kind of problems; like how jets distribute, what equipment they have to detect enemy and more... Please help me with this.Thank you

 

[Dr. Courtney]

my super wiser wants a idea from myself.

Super Wiser. Nice. I have not seen that before.

Does it need to be military, or is any thesis idea in aerospace systems OK?

What is your Super Wiser's focus area? I'd hate to suggest refueling or route optimizations for bombers or choppers if his specialty is fighters. I'd hate to suggest ideas with missiles if his specialty is planes, etc.

 

[Payam30]

Super Wiser. Nice. I have not seen that before.

Does it need to be military, or is any thesis idea in aerospace systems OK?

What is your Super Wiser's focus area? I'd hate to suggest refueling or route optimizations for bombers or choppers if his specialty is fighters. I'd hate to suggest ideas with missiles if his specialty is planes, etc.

Hi Dr.Courtney
It should be supervisor. I'm sorry about it. English is not my native language. It has to be military oriented. Since I will do my thesis at Defense Department. It should be about either automatic control or optimization. It is actually only fighters at this moment.

 

[boneh3ad]

I'm not really sure why you want ideas from us about what you should do for a Masters thesis. You are presumably seeking this degree in order to specialize your studies, so you should be picking a project that interests you so that you are motivated and can use the skills you learn in doing it for getting a job you will enjoy in the future.

 

[hc23881]

I'm not really sure why you want ideas from us about what you should do for a Masters thesis. You are presumably seeking this degree in order to specialize your studies, so you should be picking a project that interests you so that you are motivated and can use the skills you learn in doing it for getting a job you will enjoy in the future.

^^ I don't understand when people respond to a question like this. When people ask a question, they are unsure and want advice. Some suggestions to help them think about what they may be interested in... he's not asking you to write it for him...

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Hi Dr.Courtney
It should be supervisor. I'm sorry about it. English is not my native language. It has to be military oriented. Since I will do my thesis at Defense Department. It should be about either automatic control or optimization. It is actually only fighters at this moment.

Not knowing what country you are in, I can't really answer that question. DoD types in the US get nervous about advising DoD projects in other countries.

 

[boneh3ad]

^^ I don't understand when people respond to a question like this. When people ask a question, they are unsure and want advice. Some suggestions to help them think about what they may be interested in... he's not asking you to write it for him...

Choosing a topic for something like a project for a class as an undergraduate is one thing. It certainly makes sense to me to ask others for ideas. Choosing a topic for something as involved and personal as a Masters thesis is something else entirely. That is like asking other people to chart your career path for you, since your career generally initially follows a path that is quite related to a Masters thesis. It is fine to be unsure, but in my opinion, if you are unsure of what you want to study, you shouldn't yet be in graduate school.

 

[256bits]

This was one of the scenarios I could work on but my super wiser wants a idea from myself. Any suggestion that maybe I could work on instead of this assignment. What would I like to do, he asks. And honesly I only studied my school books. I have no idea how jets distribute when flying to missions. I don't know what they are allowed to do and what kind of permission the system gives to the pilots. How do I detect enemies and how they avoid it.

as a general guide for this scenario,
If we had unlimited resources there would be no need for optimization. The less we have at our disposal the more thought there has to be in how to utilize the resources.
There has to be a goal - is it time framed ( cover the area in the least amount of time as in a surveillance mission ) so the commanders have up to date information to work with.
- is it monetary framed with a goal of costing the least amount of money.
- is it protection based - how many fighters are needed in the air to ward off possible infringement upon your safe area
- etc

How you detect enemies, I think is not the important part, ( unless you are considering best course for a mixture long range short range detection systems ) , but perhaps what to do when bogey detected, such as mirror their moves, threaten an engagement, engage, ignore as a remote threat, retreat, ...

At the base you still have other problems to deal with to keep your fighters ready - how many personal and hardware do you need for service - gas up, check the tires, wipe the windshield and off he goes. What's the turnaround with just one guy doing all the work on the planes as they come in, versus a more realistic number. Do you send out your planes in bunches and they return in bunches, or is it one at a time FIFO.

One question an optimization analysis might answer is are you doubly protected with twice as many planes. Does everything else related also double, or need to double, such as air traffic controllers, runways, pilots, maintenance, ground personal, fuel consumption, costs, etc.

I reply here just to try to give you a jump start on considerations. It may not be what you actually need, and certainly not what to base your thesis upon, but hopefully it is something to begin your thought processes, with which to extend your book studies into the real world of military planners who never ever seem to have enough stuff.