The generation, use, and misuse of ‘pks’ in vulnerability/lethality analyses

During the mid-1980's ballistic live-fire legislation focused attention not only on full-platform testing but vulnerability simulation tools as well. Juxtaposing test results and model predictions revealed substantial model limitations and areas for improvements. These insights led to a series of new V/L models which delineate platform damage, platform capability and platform utility, as well as the way in which these metrics are linked, one to another. This paper reviews the philosophical underpinning of this work and emphasizes the problems and possible solutions of the linkage between vulnerability models and force-on-force models.