Supporting fighter pilot decision making through team option awareness

Abstract

Fighter pilots must often make decisions fast, under time-pressure and based on uncertain or incomplete data. Thus, decision-making in this environment poses several challenges on the pilots such as how to fulfil the goal of the mission, while at the same time limit the potential costs and risks taken to fulfil this goal. Another challenge involves the dynamic coordination of actions within the team of pilots needed to succeed with the mission efficiently. This paper discusses challenges and opportunities of introducing a decision-support tool in the fighter aircraft, aiding the pilots determine the best course(s) of action with regard to the team’s resources, opportunities and the possible risks involved. To do so, we apply the concept of option awareness, guiding the future development of decision support in the fighter aircraft domain.