Battlefield simulations for Canadian Army Indirect Fire Modernization options analysis

Computerized battlefield simulations were conducted for an Operational Research and Analysis study by the Land Force Operational Research Team for the Canadian Army Indirect Fire Modernization project. The goal was to assess the relative strengths of a set of Indirect Fire options. The simulations were designed on Python programming language, with the SimPy package, and utilized data collected in workshops with subject matter experts. The simulation had multiple scenarios, probabilistic distributions of tasks and task frequencies and targets depending on the size and capability of the enemy threat. Options considered in the project consisted of 81 mm mortars, 120 mm mortars, M777 light-weight towed howitzers and rockets. Emphasis was placed on data collection to ensure the inclusion of relevant scenarios and identification of weapons systems specifications for the model. Indirect Fire asset usage, ammunition consumption and task success were the main results.