Validation of the Explanatory Concept for Decision Support in Air-to-Air Combat

A decision-support aid developed for use by pilots in air-to-air combat was evaluated in a simulated beyond-visual-range combat scenario in which military pilots competed against one another head-to-head. Combat performance was assessed on a range of operationally-valid measures with three different versions of a head-down display showing integrated information derived from data fusion. One version presented graphical, dynamic representations of both ownship's and the enemy's missile performance envelopes (launch success zones); another showed only the launch success zones of the enemy aircraft; and a third, control version showed neither form of graphical representation. Superior attacking performance was demonstrated with the display showing both ownship and enemy launch success zones, while more successful evasive performance was associated with the display showing only enemy launch success zones. Greater levels of situation understanding were associated with the display showing both ownship and enemy launch success zones. The results lend ecological validity to the use of explanatory graphical displays in providing decision support for pilots in air-to-air combat.