Package Fuel Planning

Please note: due to the nature of defense work, details are omitted, and information is edited to represent notional systems or capabilities.

Problem Statement

Aviation strike mission planners need to determine timely fuel requirements for strike packages (multiple elements of aircraft) and air-to-air refueling locations for each element (multiple aircraft of the same platform, typically performing the same mission). Speed is of the essence. Mission planners need to submit requests for in-air refueling aircraft ahead of time, find tactically safe and efficient refueling locations to accomplish their assigned mission, and determine aircraft configurations to complete the mission.

Packages can consist of many aircraft (30+) that need to enter the objective location at coordinated times from dispersed locations increasing complexity in determining efficient fuel allocation.

Process

Followed a traditional UX process of research, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

I conducted the following tasks: 

• Led and conducted field research with SMEs, designers, and researchers of active-duty aviators and defined one of the larger problems they have in strike package planning: determining fuel requirements

• Defined success criteria with SMEs

• Designed and directed additional designers to create solutions to visualize fuel needs, easily calculate and duplicate route information to apply to new platforms, aircraft quantities, and integrate with existing tools

• Tested concepts with SMEs and active-duty aviators remotely

• Wrote epics and capabilities for multiple Agile Release Teams to develop and integrate tools

Solution

Consisted of multiple features:

• Provide visual feedback of fuel requirements on the map, in a tabular editor, and in a route editor

• Include recommended in-air refueling locations on the map

• Provide fuel estimates at each point

• Incorporate changes in weather and aircraft configuration

• Allow users to multiply quantity, change platform type, and edit information to allow parallel planning

• Incorporate updated fuel requirements based on detailed planning by subordinate aviators