Simulating autonomous drone behaviors in an anti-access area denial (A2AD) environment

Alexander L Martinez, Lance E Champagne and Phillip M LaCasse

The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation, 2026, vol. 23, issue 2, 325-334

Abstract: Army senior military leaders are invested in acquiring modernized aerial platforms and equipment to augment the US Army’s ability to overcome Anti-Access Area Denial (A2AD) threats imposed by modern Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS). A prominent element of this modernization effort is the employment of autonomous drones to defeat IADS threats while minimizing risk to Army Soldiers. This research utilizes a framework for classifying the levels of autonomous capability along three dimensions: the ability to act alone, the ability to cooperate, and the ability to adapt. A virtual combat model, created using the Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration, and Modeling (AFSIM), simulates the engagement between an enemy IADS and a friendly formation comprised of autonomous drones, attack helicopters, and a Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) capability. A designed experiment evaluates drone performance with varying levels of autonomy. The experimental results reveal that low levels of autonomy yield a 20.74% increase in survivability and a 5.52% increase in lethality.

Keywords: Autonomous systems; agent-based modeling; contested environment; A2AD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:joudef:v:23:y:2026:i:2:p:325-334

DOI: 10.1177/15485129241288236

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