"Roger, ball, Drone. You're high . . ."
Images like this one really get my attention because they bring the theory of UAVs to carrier-based life. But, first things first. Always awesome Amy Butler reports today at Aviation Week that the U.S. Navy is finally accepting proposals for stealthy unmanned combat aerial system (UCAS) vehicles that can demonstrate a capability to operate from carriers. According to Amy's report "Boeing and Northrop Grumman have been dusting off their earlier X-45 and X-47 designs for the Navy's recent request for proposals (RFP) on the UCAS-D (demonstrator) program. The RFP involves a specific set of requirements for carrier operations, including catapult launch, arrested landing and deck handling."
So we take another step toward the day when a Hornet pilot looks over from where he's parked under the island and sees an unmanned vehicle taxi past on its way to the cat.
And so too closer is the day when a Hornet pilot gets cut out of the spin pattern by an unmanned vehicle. And, while we're on the subject, who will the air boss yell at over the radio when an unmanned vehicle pulls power in the wires?
-- Ward
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The AF and in particular the CIA have had high loss rates with UAV operations with or with out an enemy air defense system involved. UAV flight ops are basically for the "pilot" a simulator ride, a whole lot of seat the pants, sound, feel for the air frame as it is stressed, smell (is something burning?), and other intangables are missing, making for greatly reduced flight situational awareness, resulting in, surprise...high Class 1 losses. The perception by executive dept civilian higher ups that UAVs are "disposable" doesn't help matters. Flying a UAV on a real mission requires more pilot realtime feedback that what is now fielded. After all, powered air flight in complex 4D combat environments is not the same thing as World of Warcraft.
As a former IHO/human factors officer with the 2d MAW (think AV-8s) I do have some recommendations to cut the UAV loss rate:
1. Equip every model type of UAV that can carry at least several hundred pounds with a...gasp....cockpit, so its "pilots" actually "know it" what it feels like flight dynamic wise, to do ACM, landing in the dark in whether, and... yes use ....gasp...real combat experenced pilots to operate it (not software engineers). The flight cockpit for the UAV needs to be a real cockpit in a real 4D field physical simulator, microphones placed 360x360 in the UAV should used to the pilot a real,dynamic accustic freespace to "float" in, a continuous dynamic computer generated 360x360 free visual field from the UAV projected around the cockpit of the UAV pilot...capable of answering questions like...is the vertical control surface still attached.. Use real physics data feedback in the HOTAS to provide a "real hands on touch". Also, use a crew, not a single operator, for parts of the flight that demand high pilot workloads, to ensure situational awareness...
The technology {thanks to computer gamers) for this is getting better and cheaper every day, and the best operators environment in the air OR on the ground is a lot cheaper than mission screwup, loss of mission, and/or airframe.
You can take the pilot out of the AC cockpit, but the AC operator still has the same human factor awareness needs to survive. The UAV and operator have to function as a unitary thing to be effective, money invested to that end has a hundredfold return…
Posted by: DreamWalker at April 19, 2007 02:54 PM