Approximate MLE for the scaled generalized exponential distribution under progressive type-II censoring

For the generalized exponential (GE) distribution, the maximum likelihood method does not provide an explicit estimator for the scale parameter based on a progressively Type-II censored sample. This paper provides a simple method of deriving an explicit estimator by approximating the likelihood function. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to investigate the accuracy of this estimator and two examples are given to illustrate this method of estimation.