A methodology for constructing the system-of-systems environment to evaluate UAV decision systems

Evaluating Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems within a System-of-Systems (SoS) environment helps clarify their contribution to the overall combat capability and supports effectiveness-oriented system optimization. When assessing decision systems in such an environment, cross-level modeling and simulation are required, which often face a trade-off between low modeling cost and high simulation accuracy, while the credibility of results remains challenging to ensure. To address these issues, this study proposes a hybrid-granularity Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) SoS environment construction method based on Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT). The method employs GERT to analyze the relationships between simulation systems, the System Under Test (SUT), and mission outcomes, thereby determining the required model precision for different systems. A dynamic resource allocation algorithm is applied to adjust model granularity on demand, ensuring high-fidelity simulation under constrained total cost. Additionally, GERT estimates the computational frequency and communication bandwidth requirements of the SUT, guiding hardware selection to enhance simulation credibility. A UAV maritime combat case study was conducted for validation. The results demonstrate that, compared to the flat modeling approach, the hybrid-granularity scenario based on GERT analysis achieves higher simulation accuracy with lower overall model complexity. The coefficient of variation in evaluation results significantly decreases in HIL simulations compared to virtual simulations, confirming improved credibility. Under the hybrid-granularity HIL scenario, the decision system was evaluated from an effectiveness perspective, identifying the most sensitive performance parameter. Subsequent targeted optimization led to an 11.90% improvement in effectiveness, validating the method's practical utility.