Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija

Soil passability modelling depends on the quality and integration of soil data. This study evaluates the influence of soil database selection on passability assessment using soil datasets commonly used in the Czech Republic. Soil types and soil texture were harmonised, validated against field observations, and analysed with respect to spatial agreement. Results show that DSM50 provides the most consistent soil type information, while soil texture assessment relies on the dataset with the widest coverage, as no clear best dataset emerged. An attribute‑specific hierarchical integration framework is proposed to ensure robust and operationally applicable soil passability modelling.

Military low-level air maneuver in contested environments is constrained by adversary radar surveillance and the need to minimize exposure while remaining terrain- and mission-feasible. Although terrain masking reduces direct line-of-sight (LOS) to a radar, detectability cannot be assessed from geometry alone, as it also depends on the radar energy budget, receiver noise, processing gain, and the adopted detection criterion. This paper presents a reproducible GIS-oriented workflow that couples LOS-based masking products, including visibility and minimal visible altitude above ground level (AGL), with an energy-based detectability model expressed through signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and probability of detection (PD). The workflow further incorporates scenario-dependent atmospheric modifiers representing gaseous attenuation, rain attenuation, and refractivity-driven propagation effects, while retaining the possibility of higher-fidelity propagation modelling where required. In addition to 2D exposure layers, the approach supports constrained low-exposure route generation and optional 3D voxel-based representations of detectability in the near-ground layer. A case study in the Brno area demonstrates the generation of LOS and altitude-margin products, SNR/PD raster layers, and example low-exposure corridors derived from raster threat masks. The results show that radar exposure is highly sensitive to terrain, altitude, and environmental assumptions, and that the proposed workflow provides a transferable decision-support framework for comparative analysis of low-level operations in contested airspace.