Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Another growing trend across international land forces involves the application of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). In fact, the last half-decade has witnessed an explosion of UAS applications across U.S. formations and across the formations of partners and allies as well.

As an example, at the small end of the UAS spectrum, 2010 ended and 2011 opened with an announcement by AeroVironment, Inc., that it had received an order under a contract with the Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization for new Raven small UAS, with spares, training services, and logistics support.

“With years of successful deployment, Raven is proving its value to military forces around the world,” said Tom Herring, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment. “As the most prolific unmanned aircraft system, Raven gives frontline forces the ability to perform their tasks more effectively and safely. We are committed to helping the Norwegian armed forces employ Raven systems successfully.”

The Raven unmanned aircraft is a 4.2-pound, backpackable, hand-launched sensor platform that provides day and night real-time video imagery for “over the hill” and “around the corner” reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition in support of tactical units. U.S. armed forces use Raven systems extensively for missions such as base security, route reconnaissance, mission planning, and force protection. Each Raven system typically consists of three aircraft, two ground control stations, and spares.

With its delivery of their systems scheduled for early calendar 2011, Norway joined other international purchasers of Raven systems, including Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain.

A slightly larger UAS platform employed in support of some international land forces is the Desert Hawk™ III from Lockheed Martin Maritime Safety, Security, and Surveillance (MS3). The hand-launched, 8-pound aircraft features a modular design that facilitates the rapid installation of multiple payload types.

The United Kingdom has employed the UAS since 2006, with recent figures reflecting close to 1,000 hours per month of flying time in Afghanistan.

Moving up the size spectrum, another 2010 announcement revealed a selection decision by Italy’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) – Directorate of General Aeronautical Armament for AAI Corporation’s Shadow 200 Tactical UAS (TUAS) “for deployment alongside NATO forces.”

“Our Shadow TUAS meet the mark for the Italian army’s surveillance and reconnaissance requirements – and then some,” explained Vice President of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Steven Reid of AAI. “The system’s compact logistics footprint makes it easy to transport and operate under evolving battlefield conditions, as proven during more than 500,000 flight hours. In addition, the vast majority of Shadow TUAS’ flight hours have taken place in Iraq and Afghanistan, so our customers can see firsthand that our systems deliver the performance and robustness they need.”

In another example, late April 2011 also saw an announcement by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA ASI) that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH to offer the Predator B UAS to meet the surveillance needs of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Another representative milestone at the large end of the UAS spectrum occurred in late July 2011, when EURO HAWK, the first high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE), signals intelligence (SIGINT) UAS based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk produced by Northrop Grumman for the German Bundeswehr, successfully touched down in Manching, Germany. Delivery of the first EURO HAWK demonstrator to the Bundeswehr is scheduled for mid-2012, with another four systems scheduled tentatively between 2015 and 2017.