Generalized weapon effectiveness modeling

Abstract : In this thesis we compare weapon effectiveness methods to determine if current effectiveness models provide accurate results. The United States Military currently adheres to a compilation of data and methodologies named the Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manuals (JMEM) to determine the effectiveness of air delivered weapons against a variety of ground targets. Since the time these manuals were implemented in the 196Os progress in technology has allowed the weapon/target interaction to be more accurately modeled. This thesis investigates the differences of these high fidelity models for unguided weapons and the JMEM computations in order to determine whether the older more simplistic models need to be upgraded.