A Fiber-Aware Extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) Framework for Counter-UAS Assessment

This working paper proposes a minimal, auditable extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) framework for counter–unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) assessment, addressing a structural limitation exposed by the operational deployment of fiber-guided and hybrid-link drones. The original MVA framework evaluates C-UAS effectiveness under cost asymmetry, saturation, and mission-level endurance, with an implicit focus on electromagnetically addressable threats. Fiber-guided control regimes fundamentally alter this assumption by bypassing electromagnetic (EM) interaction within bounded operational envelopes. This paper introduces a fiber-aware, distance–link segmented threat regime that formalizes an operational fiber feasibility envelope and distinguishes fiber-dominant, hybrid transition, and extended or relay-based engagement zones. Within this structure, EM countermeasures are repositioned from universal termination tools to phase-specific filtering layers, preserving MVA’s core outcome metrics while restoring analytical validity under mixed fiber–EM conditions. The proposed extension maintains the MVA framework’s minimality, auditability, and comparability across scenarios, while providing a scalable template for incorporating evolving control-link technologies into outcome-oriented C-UAS evaluation.