Letter to the Editor—Quasilinearization and Inverse Problems for Lanchester Equations of Conflict

This letter applies quasilinearization and digital computation to the solution of certain problems concerning the Lanchester equations of combat. The study shows how the enemy's strength and replenishment rate may be estimated on the basis of information on friendly units. The problem is phrased as a nonlinear, multipoint, boundary-value problem, and quasilinearization is used for the numerical solution. The results of some numerical experiments performed with the aid of an IBM 7044 computer are presented, and the problem of errors in the observations is examined.