Prioritizing flight simulators of the brazilian air force by the analytic hierarchy process and hypothesis tests

Abstract

Goal: The purpose of the research is to apply a method of decision support to prioritize flight simulators of the Air Force Command in view of the country”s budget constraints in the defense sector. Methodology: The research was performed with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), associated with hypothesis tests to define the preference or equivalence relationships between the simulators. Data collection involved the support of 32 Air Force specialists with extensive experience in the chosen simulators. Results: The T-27 Tucano simulator was preferred, followed by the C-95M Bandeirantes and the C-105 Amazonas, which obtained statistical similarity to each other. In fourth place was the A-29 Super Tucano simulator. The two simulators that had the least preference were the F-5M Tiger II and the A-1 AMX, which achieved results that were statistically close to each other. Limitations: Any multicriteria decision aid technique embeds its features and limitations. This is not exclusive to AHP, although the consistency ratio is a differential in relation to other methods. The expert sample also reflects the preferences of a group, with reservations to the generalization of the results. Practical implications: The findings of this research can be used in practice, by assisting the Brazilian Air Force in applying its scarce financial resources to prioritize flight simulators. Originality / Value: The research is unique to the Brazilian Air Force, in particular to the Center that oversees flight simulators, and is also relevant in including hypothesis testing to AHP results.