[U184]

Drones,/UCAVs and other military applications.

But first... Fun Stuff

Fun with DARPA's ACTUV Tactics Simulator



Thoughts on the matter.


The Robotic Revolution in Military Affairs: Implications for Leaders < Just an overview of changing times.

The U.S. Air Force Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: A Strategic Vision (From 2005)

• The Air Force must work with the Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, International Civil Aviation Organization, and other organizations to develop common definitions regarding unmanned systems.
• Unmanned systems must be robustly integrated with manned and space systems. They must also be integrated with other unmanned systems, including ground- and sea-based systems.
• Military RPAs and UAVs must operate in national and international airspace to ensure seamless integration.
• The Air Force and DoD must continue to fund research and development to provide the scientific foundation for technological advances.
• The Air Force must fund research and development for effective human-machine interfacing as a critical part of a UAV ground segment architecture.
• The Air Force must recognize that traditional cost metrics for manned aircraft do not account for the on- and off-board requirements unique to unmanned systems and must work with sister Services, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and allies to mitigate such costs.
• The Air Force must review doctrine, procedures, policies, and legal requirements to determine how unmanned systems fit into the existing framework.

A bit of historical background.

Hovering Missiles: New Tools for Target ID, Interior Precision Strike, Friendly Fire Mitigation and Persistent Suppression <Lots of pics, easy reading.

Air Force UAVs: The Secret History < A bit long-winded at 80 pages, but a good read.

Applications in research and or Production.



The Predator UAV: Metadata < In-depth analysis.

The Sea Shield: Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) < Lots of Naval goodies, good pics still an easy read.





Usefulness in the Field.

U.S. UNMANNED, AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVS) AND NETWORK- CENTRIC WARFARE (NCW): IMPACTS ON COMBAT AVIATION TACTICS FROM GULF WAR I THROUGH 2007 IRAQ

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an increasingly important element of many modern militaries. Their success on battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the globe has driven demand for a variety of types of unmanned vehicles. Their proven value consists in low risk and low cost, and their capabilities include persistent surveillance, tactical and combat reconnaissance, resilience, and dynamic
re-tasking.

This research evaluates past, current, and possible future operating environments for several UAV platforms to survey the changing dynamics of combat-aviation tactics and make recommendations regarding UAV employment scenarios to the Turkish military.

While UAVs have already established their importance in military operations, ongoing evaluations of UAV operating environments, capabilities, technologies, concepts, and organizational issues inform the development of future systems. To what extent will UAV capabilities increasingly define tomorrow’s missions, requirements, and results in surveillance and combat tactics?

Integrating UAVs and concepts of operations (CONOPS) on future battlefields is an emergent science. Managing a transition from manned- to unmanned and remotely piloted aviation platforms involves new technological complexity and new aviation personnel roles, especially for combat pilots.

Managing a UAV military transformation involves cultural change, which can be measured in decades.

CRECUS: A Radar Sensor for Battlefield
CRECUS gives way to the ISIS. CONTINUOUSLY AVAILABLE BATTLEFIELD SURVEILLANCE



Railguns

What is a railgun? Here is a simple explanation

Here is the not so simple version, but is much more informative> Test and Evaluation of Electromagnetic Railguns (2007)

[Typhoon]

Lots of interest here KFlint, thanks for sharing!