Tag Archives: UAV

USAFA Drones Overtaking Jets

The Colorado Springs Gazette, local to the US Air Force Academy, has an interesting article on the rise of UAVs at “Zoom U,” the military Academy most stereotypically known for its association with fighter jets.

Last year, the Air Force ordered more drones than fighter jets, and the Air Force Academy became the first service academy in the nation to launch a program to coach cadets in their use.

“Unmanned aircraft are here, and they are the future of the Air Force,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Latham, an experienced pilot who directs the academy’s extracurricular drone program.

UAVs are becoming an integral part of the US Air Force, even from the beginning.

Air Force Birthday Re-Inspires Age Old Question

The Air Force celebrated its birthday on 18 September; the “celebration” inspired some to repeat the frequently asked question: Are pilots becoming obsolete?

But that specter of obsolescence is beginning to haunt some of the most tech-savvy men and women in America – Air Force pilots – as the service looks toward an unmanned air fleet capable of any and every kind of combat and support role, from close air support to cargo and refueling; a fleet “smart” enough to work together, even “swarming” to carry out tactical and strategic missions.

More at Military.com.

UAV Gets Lost, Flies to DC

According to the Navy Times, a US Navy UAV got “lost” and entered the restricted airspace around Washington, DC.

According to a Navy statement, the incident took place Aug. 2 when, about 75 minutes into a routine test flight, an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter operating out of the Patuxent River test facilities in southern Maryland lost its control link with ground operators.

The aircraft then flew about 23 miles on a north-by-northwest course and entered the National Capital Region restricted airspace, part of the Air Defense Identification Zone surrounding Washington, D.C.

Most UAVs are programmed with “lost link” procedures that command the UAV into a preplanned flight profile if it loses contact with its ground station.  According to the article, an “anomaly” prevented this failsafe.

The Next UCAV: The A-10 Warthog

According to a report at the Air Force Times, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a project that will enable ground forces to control the weapons systems on an A-10 — or even control the A-10 itself as an “unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV).”

The A-10 could be manned or unmanned; an unmanned plane would loiter autonomously but would be under the control of an A-10 pilot at a ground control station when responding to an attack and for all takeoffs and landings.

The pilot would give “coordinated consent” for the launch of weapons; the JTAC would fire the weapons using a portable computer. With the computer, the JTAC would access the A-10’s sensors, punch in coordinates for its targeting pods and determine the predicted blast radius and effectiveness of the weapons.

While the concept is intriguing, it masks the true improvement to air support Read more

Combat from a Computer Console

The Houston Chronicle, via Military.com, has an article on Major Jon Stiles, a US Air Force Predator operator who flies out of Houston for the Texas Air National Guard.  The aircraft he controls are flying over Afghanistan and Iraq.

As similar articles have noted in the past, UAV/RPA operators certainly do not experience the same “combat” conditions as troops on the ground or even the aviators directly overhead.  That said, their actions can still have life and death impacts — immediately visible on the screen — as well as strategic implications.  There is certainly pressure and stress, though perhaps in a way not yet fully comprehended by the military.

Unmanned Capsule Misses Space Station

In an unusual incident, the Progress 38 resupply capsule from Russia, flew by the Space Station instead of docking with it.  The huge capsule was supposed to deliver 2.5 tons of materials to the station.  A second attempt a few days later was successful.

UAVs do occasionally have issues with communication or control, though most of the time failsafe devices enable the safe return of the vessel (or at least its safe destruction).

UAVs are becoming more ubiquitous, however, as more people are persuaded of their generally safe record.  If there are still concerns, however, with the “mishap” involving the huge “space UAV,” perhaps nano-UAVs the size of a hummingbird or smaller would be more comforting.

Gorgon Set to Fly Over Afghanistan

The Gorgon Stare is a 1,000 pound sensor that will enable a wide area to be monitored across a variety of spectrums, day or night, likely including both visual and infrared.  It is currently set to be deployed to Afghanistan on the MQ-9 Reaper.  Rather than having a single operator operate a single camera pointed at an area just a few miles (or feet) across (as, say, the Predator), the idea is that this sensor will capture a huge area, and users can simply choose that which they want to see.  Think of it as “Google Earth” — only live.

The ARGUS may eventually supersede Gorgon Stare with, as its namesake implies, far more — and more detailed — “eyes.”

Think “religious freedom” advocate Michael Weinstein will consider this an endorsement of Greek mythology by the US military, and a “propaganda tool” for American adversaries?  Given Weinstein’s selective outrage to date, it’s probably unlikely, though the fact it fits so well into his dogmatic rants demonstrates how ludicrous his claims actually are.

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