Morphological analysis in the study Airborne Capability
Publish date: 2003-01-01
Report number: FOI-R--0686--SE
Pages: 30
Written in: Swedish
Abstract
This report presents the methodological support given by F0I to the Swedish Armys Tactical Command Centre for a study concerning Airborne capability. The purpose of the study was to support problem formulation, the generation of alternative solutions and their evaluation. The primary method used was morphological analysis.. Sweden does not presently have an airborne capability, either as support for ground combat or in the form of transport helicopters and combat helicopters. There was a need to build up detailed knowledge about what an airborne capability would involve. The problem complex has been structured and modelled with the help of morphological analysis (MA). The analysis was carried out in two steps: the first concerning airborne units as a whole, the second a more detailed analysis of the requirements for the ground combat component of the unit. The iterative character of MA was employed in order to integrate the Systems Analysis steps of problem formulation, alternative generation, analysis and evaluation. The resurs of the analysis were further refined through more detailed calculations. A relational database was developed as support for the study, which also served as the starting point for war-gaming in this context. The uncertainties involved in the study were managed by creating and examining a very large outcome space -- made possildie by MA -- in which inconsistent or improbable alternatives were successively sifted out.