Prioritizing Criteria for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Selection in Indonesia’s Border Defense: An Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Approach

Abstract

As an archipelagic nation, the Republic of Indonesia faces profound geopolitical and security challenges along its expansive maritime and terrestrial border zones. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as an essential force multiplier for persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. However, selecting and procuring the most adaptive defense UAV involves navigating complex, multidimensional, and competing operational criteria. This study aims to establish a structured prioritization framework for evaluating critical UAV selection criteria tailored explicitly to Indonesia’s border defense. Utilizing Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a three-level hierarchical model was developed incorporating four primary criteria: Flight Endurance (C1), Payload Capacity (C2), Procurement Cost (C3), and Cyber-Defense Capability (C4). Empirical data were collected through the geometric mean aggregation of a consensus panel comprising seven defense and aviation experts from the Indonesia National Air Defense Command (Kohanudnas). The mathematical evaluation reveals that Flight Endurance (C1) represents the highest priority with an eigenvector weight of 38.70%, closely followed by Cyber-Defense Capability (C4) at 36.75%. Conversely, Payload Capacity (C2) and Procurement Cost (C3) received significantly lower emphasis, accounting for 17.17% and 7.39%, respectively. The model demonstrates high mathematical rigor and validity, yielding a Lambda Max (λmax) of 4.0179 and a Consistency Ratio (CR) of 0.66%, well below the mandatory 10% threshold (CR < 0.10). The findings underscore that within modern volatile airspace paradigms, operational survivability (endurance) and electronic resilience (cyber defense) decisively outweigh immediate budgetary constraints and hardware capacity during strategic procurement planning.