Operational Performance Measures for Air Combat: Development and Application

Abstract

The content of this paper summarizes four years of research designed to develop valid and reliable performance criteria for the Navy's Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System (TACTS). Performance measurement methods for assessing missile envelope recognition and air combat engagements have been developed and applied in an operational setting. TACTS measures used in performance assessment were selected on the basis of their operational importance and their demonstrated statistical relationship to successful completion of such air combat tasks as missile launch success and engagement outcomes. A measurement framework has evolved and may be appropriately applied to estimate overall air combat effectiveness, and to provide diagnostic performance analysis of critical air combat tasks. The resulting measurement framework has been applied operationally to evaluate U.S. Navy competitive air combat exercises and to provide diagnostic performance feedback to aircrews undergoing TACTS training. More recently, these measures and assessment methods have been incorporated in a computer-based TACTS debrief system called the Performance Assessment and Appraisal System (PAAS). The PAAS is representative of an emerging technology which uses automated performance measurement methods for enhancing the training process.