Hierarchical mission planning for multiple vehicles airdrop operation

PurposeAirdrop operation has become an important transportation mode due to its mobility and rapidity and mission planning is one of the critical steps in the preparation of an airdrop operation. The purpose of this paper is to propose an efficient mission planning method for airdrop operation using multiple vehicles.Design/methodology/approachA hierarchical mission planning method is proposed. According to the objectives of the action, the mission planning is divided into three planning levels to form the hierarchical structure and the constraints are distributed among them. By doing so, the proposed approach converts the original mission planning problem to a constrained optimization problem, which is solvable using existing mathematical methods.FindingsOn the basis of analysis, the mathematic models of three planning levels are established. Each level has its own optimization objective, taking part of constraints into account. The integrated mission scheme had been obtained step by step.Practical implicationsThis paper systematically tackles the complicated multiple vehicles airdrop mission planning problem, and it provides a platform for optimizing the outcomes. The mathematical models established in this paper could apply in a variety of more complex mission scenarios.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an urgent need to study how the advantages of airdrop operation can be maximized through planning airdrop mission schemes carefully.