Effects of terrain, maneuver tactics, and C4ISR on the effectiveness of long-range precision fires

Situational and tactical factors, which are usually treated only in complex models, strongly influence the effectiveness of long-range precision weapons in interdicting a moving armored column. This study develops a physics-based personal-computer model describing such influences. It draws on high-resolution simulation experiments for both insights and "data" useful in calibrating the simpler model. That model (PEM) explains results of the high-resolution simulation that had previously not been understood and makes it possible to estimate effectiveness over a wide range of circumstances. Results vary by about two orders of magnitude. The study can be seen as a prototype demonstration of the value of working the gamut from high-resolution, entity-level, man-in-the-loop simulation to exploratory analysis with fast-running multiresolution desktop models. The result is a very useful, and partially integrated, family of models.