A Fiber-Aware Extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) Framework for Counter-UAS Assessment
Link-Typed, Distance-Segmented, and Phase-Aware Evaluation under Mixed Fiber–EM Threat Conditions
- Wu, Shaoyuan
Global AI Governance and Policy Research Center, EPINOVA LLC
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0660-8232
Description
This working paper extends the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) framework for counter-UAS assessment by introducing a fiber-aware, link-segmented threat regime. It addresses the structural limitation of EM-centric counter-UAS evaluation when fiber-guided or hybrid-link unmanned aerial systems bypass electromagnetic countermeasures within bounded operational envelopes. The extension preserves MVA's core outcome metrics while clarifying where EM measures remain relevant as phase-specific filtering layers.
Abstract
The Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) framework was developed to evaluate counter–unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) effectiveness under conditions of cost asymmetry, saturation, and mission-level endurance, with a primary analytical focus on electromagnetic (EM) countermeasures. The operational deployment of fiber-guided unmanned aerial systems (UAS), however, exposes a structural limitation in this assumption. Fiber guidance does not merely reduce the effectiveness of EM countermeasures; it effectively bypasses their applicability within bounded operational envelopes. This paper introduces a minimal, auditable extension to the MVA framework that accounts for fiber-guided and hybrid-link UAS without invalidating the original model. The extension formalizes a link-typed, distance-segmented, and phase-aware threat regime, replacing fixed range assumptions with an operational fiber feasibility envelope. Three distance–link scenarios—fiber-dominant, hybrid transition, and extended or relay-based—are defined, each associated with distinct defensive leverage points and cost dynamics. By repositioning EM measures from universal termination tools to stage-specific filtering layers, the proposed patch preserves MVA’s core outcome metrics, such as cost per loss avoided, key asset preservation, mission continuity, and cost endurance, while restoring analytical validity under mixed fiber–EM threat conditions. The resulting framework remains minimal, auditable, and extensible as control-link technologies evolve.
Files
| Name | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| A Fiber-Aware Extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) Framework for Counter-UAS Assessment.pdf Full-text PDF of the working paper | application/pdf | Download |
Keywords
- Counter-UAS
- C-UAS assessment
- Minimum Viable Auditable framework
- MVA framework
- fiber-guided drones
- fiber-guided UAS
- hybrid-link unmanned systems
- electromagnetic countermeasures
- electronic warfare
- EM countermeasures
- distance–link segmented threat regime
- operational fiber feasibility envelope
- phase-aware attribution
- cost per loss avoided
- mission continuity
- cost endurance
- key asset preservation
- Russia–Ukraine drone war
- defense assessment
- counter-drone operations
Subjects
- Defense Technology Assessment
- Counter-UAS
- Electronic Warfare
- Drone Warfare
- Military Innovation
- Operational Assessment Methodology
- Cost-Exchange Analysis
- AI and Autonomous Systems
Recommended citation
Wu, Shaoyuan. (2025). A Fiber-Aware Extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) Framework for Counter-UAS Assessment. Global AI Governance and Policy Research Center, EPINOVA LLC. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18090017. DOI: To be assigned after Crossref membership approval.
APA citation
Wu, S. (2025). A fiber-aware extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) framework for counter-UAS assessment. Global AI Governance and Policy Research Center, EPINOVA LLC. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18090017. DOI: To be assigned after Crossref membership approval.
Alternate identifiers
| Scheme | Identifier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DOI | 10.5281/zenodo.18090017 | Zenodo/DataCite DOI from early ORCID-derived metadata record |
| ORCID put-code | 201017675 | ORCID Public API record identifier from early metadata |
| File name | A Fiber-Aware Extension to the Minimum Viable, Auditable (MVA) Framework for Counter-UAS Assessment.pdf | Source PDF file name |
| Figure identifier | MVA v2.1 Fiber-Aware Methodology Flowchart | Figure title shown in the PDF visual flowchart |
Related works
| Relation | Identifier | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| References and extends prior EPINOVA research report on cost-exchange limits and MVA assessment logic | 10.5281/zenodo.18036790 |
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