Techno-economic modelling of fleet architectures for undersea surveillance

Milledge, TJ; Pradhan, B; Shukla, N

Techno-economic modelling of fleet architectures for undersea surveillance

Milledge, TJ Pradhan, B Shukla, N

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Publisher:: SAGE Publications
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation: Applications, Methodology, Technology

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Milledge, TJ
dc.contributor.author	Pradhan, B
dc.contributor.author	Shukla, N
dc.date.accessioned	2026-02-13T06:19:22Z
dc.date.available	2026-02-13T06:19:22Z
dc.identifier.citation	The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation: Applications, Methodology, Technology
dc.identifier.issn	1548-5129
dc.identifier.issn	1557-380X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/193483
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p>With Australia’s vast maritime environment to monitor and protect, the Royal Australian Navy must modernise its fleet architecture to maximise surveillance coverage within resource and budget constraints. Modern uncrewed systems offer a range of technological advancements to supplement the Navy’s crewed assets with affordable mass for persistent undersea domain awareness. This study has developed a novel techno-economic model that assessed the technical performance and total cost of ownership of future fleet architectures incorporating different uncrewed systems. It modelled the demands of concurrent surveillance missions and the ability of candidate fleet architectures to meet these needs. The research determined that investing in larger, strategic uncrewed systems offered greater value for money to the Royal Australian Navy than investing in smaller, tactical uncrewed systems for conducting undersea surveillance. More broadly, this research introduces a reusable evaluation framework to support future defence capability development and investment. The methodology employs scenario-based cost-effectiveness analysis supported by quantitative modelling and operational parameters. While similar defence investment challenges are being explored in the United States, the United Kingdom, and by European navies, this study is among the first to apply a techno-economic lens specifically to fleet architectures for Australia in the Indo-Pacific region.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	SAGE Publications
dc.relation.ispartof	The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation: Applications, Methodology, Technology
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/15485129251415241
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Techno-economic modelling of fleet architectures for undersea surveillance
dc.type	Journal Article
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/Engineering and IT Related HDR Students
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-02-13T06:19:19Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

With Australia’s vast maritime environment to monitor and protect, the Royal Australian Navy must modernise its fleet architecture to maximise surveillance coverage within resource and budget constraints. Modern uncrewed systems offer a range of technological advancements to supplement the Navy’s crewed assets with affordable mass for persistent undersea domain awareness. This study has developed a novel techno-economic model that assessed the technical performance and total cost of ownership of future fleet architectures incorporating different uncrewed systems. It modelled the demands of concurrent surveillance missions and the ability of candidate fleet architectures to meet these needs. The research determined that investing in larger, strategic uncrewed systems offered greater value for money to the Royal Australian Navy than investing in smaller, tactical uncrewed systems for conducting undersea surveillance. More broadly, this research introduces a reusable evaluation framework to support future defence capability development and investment. The methodology employs scenario-based cost-effectiveness analysis supported by quantitative modelling and operational parameters. While similar defence investment challenges are being explored in the United States, the United Kingdom, and by European navies, this study is among the first to apply a techno-economic lens specifically to fleet architectures for Australia in the Indo-Pacific region.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/193483