Complex computer based system example problem: an advanced ship combat system

A key element of research addressing development of advanced system engineering methods and tools is the demonstration and testing of evolving methods and tools using example problems. Typically these example problems are small well known systems such as the automobile cruise control. These small example problems do not provide the complexity or scope necessary to evaluate emerging methods and tools, particularly with regard to scaleability. This paper introduces an example consisting of a theoretical naval combat system. The example is described in terms of the system top level requirements, logical design (e.g. functions and data flow), and implementation design (e.g. hardware, software and human operators). The intent is to provide a meaningful test problem for systems engineering research in the design and analysis of large complex systems.