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Unmanned combat air vehicle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Unmanned combat air vehicle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from UCAV) An unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone or drone , is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is armed with weaponry and has no onboard human pilot. Currently operational drones are under realtime human control of unknown precision.[citation needed ] Drones change the nature of modern aerial combat. Controllers of drones are in no immediate danger, unlike jet pilots. As an advanced use of robots in war, drones also prompt fundamental questions about the relationship of warriors to war, and soldiers to their weapons. In terms of military logistics, much of the equipment A MQ-9 Reaper during a training mission necessary for a human pilot (such as the cockpit, ejection seat, flight controls, and environmental controls for pressure & oxygen) can be omitted from an unmanned vehicle, resulting in a decrease in weight. This may allow for greater payloads, range and maneuverability. However, the distance between the pilot and the aircraft may result in slower response time or latency. The use of drones in war has far-reaching consequences for wars in the 21st Century, including AI development, the ethics of war (see below), and for military software design.[citation needed ] The degree of a drone's autonomy in the field of battle also has legal ramifications, e.g., proximate cause.[citation needed ]

Contents
1 History 2 Proliferation 3 Laws of war & ethics 4 Political effects 5 Future models 5.1 BAE Taranis 5.2 J-UCAS 5.3 N-UCAS 5.4 USAF Hunter-Killer 5.5 Sagem Sperwer 5.6 Elbit Hermes 450 5.7 Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System (LMAMS) 6 See also 7 References 8 External links
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History
One of the earliest explorations of the concept of the combat drone was by Dr. Lee De Forest, an early inventor of radio devices, and U.A. Sanabria, a TV engineer. They presented their idea in an article in a 1940 publication of Popular Mechanics.[1] In the 1980s, Iran deployed a drone armed with six RPG-7 rounds in the Iran-Iraq War. This was the first time a combat drone was used in war.[2] The first time drones were used as proof-of-concept of super-agility [post-stall controlled flight] in combat flight simulations was with tailless, Stealth-Technology-based three-dimensional Thrust Vectoring flight control [jet steering] was in Israel in 1987.[3] In recent years the US has increased its use of UAVs in Pakistan as part of the War on Terrorism.

Proliferation
Countries with known operational armed drones: China - Guizhou WZ-2000, AVIC Wing Loong I France - EADS Harfang (based on the IAI Heron) Germany - Modified IAI Heron from Israel.[4] India - IAI Heron, IAI Harop and IAI Harpy from Israel,[5] DRDO AURA, DRDO Nishant, DRDO Lakshya, DRDO Rustom [6] Iran - Karrar, Shahed 129 (UCAV), and others Ireland - Aeronautics Orbiter UAV, number: 3+. Used in Irish Army duties.[citation needed ] Israel - IAI Heron, IAI Harpy, Elbit Hermes 450, IAI Eitan, IAI Harop Italy - MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper from the U.S.[citation needed ] North Korea - MQM-107-based flying bombs[7] Pakistan - Shahpur (Testing), Falco UAV from Italy modified to carry rockets (Testing)[8] Russia - IAI Heron from Israel[9] Taiwan - The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) is developing a defending and attack UCAV based on the US X-47B.[10][11] Turkey - TAI Anka, Vestel Karayel United Kingdom - MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper from the U.S.[citation needed ] United States - MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper

Laws of war & ethics

See also: Targeted killing The international laws of war (such as the Geneva Conventions) govern the conduct of participants in war (and also define combatants). These laws place a burden upon participants to limit civilian deaths and injuries through proper identification of targets and distinction between combatants and non-combatants. The use of completely autonomous weapon systems is problematic, however, because of the difficulty in assigning accountability to a person. Therefore, current designs still incorporate an element of human control (a "man in the loop") meaning that a ground controller must authorize weapons release.
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Concerns also include the human controller's role, because if he is a civilian and not a member of the military (which is quite possible with developmental and highly sophisticated weapons systems) he would be considered a combatant under international law which carries a distinct set of responsibilities and consequences. It is for this reason that the "man in the loop" should ideally be a member of the military that understands and accepts his role as combatant.[12] However, in the United States in 2011/2012 the process for selecting targets outside of warzones was altered so that power was concentrated within a group of people in the White House.[13] Controllers can also experience psychological stress from the combat they are involved in. They may communicate with the ground troops they are supporting and feel a bond with them. They may also feel helplessness, guilt, exhaustion, or burnout as a response to what they witness remotely. A few may even experience Posttraumatic stress disorder.[14][15] On 28 October 2009, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, presented a report to the Third Committee (social, humanitarian and cultural) of the General Assembly arguing that the use of unmanned combat air vehicles for targeted killings should be regarded as a breach of international law unless the United States can demonstrate appropriate precautions and accountability mechanisms are in place.[16] The Missile Technology Control Regime applies to UCAVs. Collateral damage of civilians still takes place with drone combat, although some (like John O. Brennan) have argued that it greatly reduces the likelihood.[17] Although drones enable advance tactical surveillance and up-to-theminute data, flaws can become apparent.[18] The US drone program in Pakistan has killed several dozen civilians accidentally for example.[19] Another example is the operation in 2010 Feb near Khod, in Urozgan Province, Afghanistan. Over ten civilians in a three-vehicle convoy travelling from Daykundi Province were accidentally killed after a drone crew misidentified the civilians as hostile threats. A force of Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, who were attempting to protect ground troops fighting several km away, fired AGM-114 Hellfire missiles at the vehicles.[20][21]

Political effects
As a new weapon, drones are having unforeseen political effects. Some scholars have argued that the extensive use of drones will undermine the popular legitimacy of local governments, which are blamed for permitting the strikes. The case study for this analysis is Yemen, where drone strikes seem to be increasing resentment against the Yemeni government as well as against the US.[22] Some leaders worry about the effect drone warfare will have on soldiers' psychology. Keith Shurtleff, an army chaplain at Fort Jackson, South Carolina worries that as war becomes safer and easier, as soldiers are removed from the horrors of war and see the enemy not as humans but as blips on a screen, there is very real danger of losing the deterrent that such horrors provide.[23] Similar worries surfaced when "smart" bombs began to be used extensively in the First Gulf War.

Future models
Alenia Aeronautica, Sky-x (TD) BAE Taranis intercontinental stealth UCAV (TD)
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Dassault nEUROn stealth UCAV (TD) Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO Rustom Denel Dynamics : UCAV-TD such as Bateleur (TD) EADS Germany & EADS Spain, EADS Barracuda stealth UAV/UCAV (TD) Elbit Systems Hermes 450 (see below) Israel Aircraft Industries, Eitan Israel Aircraft Industries, Harop NESCOM Burraq Northrop Grumman, X-47A/B (TD for A variant) MiG Skat[24] A BAE Raven during flight testing SAGEM Sperwer UCAV (see below) AURA UAV Various Chinese UCAV concepts have also materialized[citation needed ]. WZ-2000, UCAV versions of the Xianglong high altitude are long endurance UAV. Also, dedicated UCAV's Shenyang's Dark Sword (Anjian), and also revealed at Zhuhai 2008 was a model of a stealth strike UCAV with forward swept wings, filling a similar niche to US X-45 called the Warrior Eagle. General Atomics Avenger is a long-endurance UCAV, surveillance/reconnaissance/attack, low-observables, first flight 4 The EADS Barracuda on the April 2009. Manching Air Base in Germany Turkish Aerospace Industries, Anka: Anka was publicized on 16 July 2010. Iran has at least 3 UCAV types in production or in development. These are the Karrar,[25] Ra'd[26] and the stealth Sofreh Mahi.[27] Armstechno Dulo Note: Some of these are not aircraft prototypes but technology demonstrators (TD) that are not expected to enter service.

BAE Taranis
Main article: BAE Taranis Taranis is a British demonstrator programme for unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology. It is part of the UK's Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicle (Experimental) programme (SUAV[E]). BAE describes Taranis's role in this context as following: "This 124m four year programme is part of the UK Governments Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicle Experiment (SUAVE) and will result in a UCAV demonstrator with fully integrated autonomous systems and low observable features." The Taranis demonstrator will have an MTOW of about 8000 kilograms and be of a similar size to the BAE Hawk making it one of the world's largest UAVs that will be stealthy, fast and be able to deploy a range of munitions over a number of targets and be able to defend itself against manned and other unmanned enemy aircraft. The first steel was cut in September 2007 and ground testing started in early 2009. The first flight of the Taranis is planned for the first quarter of 2013. The demonstrator will have two internal weapons bays. With the inclusion of "full autonomy" the intention is thus for this platform to be able to "think for itself" for a
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large part of the mission.

J-UCAS
Main article: Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems Boeing X-45 UCAV (TD) Northrop-Grumman X-47 Pegasus Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems , or J-UCAS, was the name for the joint U.S. Navy/U.S. Air Force unmanned combat air vehicle procurement project. J-UCAS was managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, the J-UCAS program was terminated.[28] The program was revitalized into UCAS-D.[29] It would have used stealth technologies and carry precision-guided weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) or precision miniature munitions, such as the Small-Diameter Bomb to suppress enemy air defenses. Controllers could have used real-time data sources, including satellites, to plan for and respond to changes on and around the battlefield.
BAE Taranis model one of the largest designs of all of the concepts

J-UCAS Boeing X-45A UCAV technology demonstrator

N-UCAS
UCAS-D and Northrop Grumman X-47B are the U.S. Navy-only successors to the J-UCAS, which was cancelled in 2006. Boeing is also working on the X-45N in this sector. In a New Year 2011 editorial titled "China's Naval Ambitions," The New York Times said "[t]he Pentagon must accelerate efforts to make American naval forces in Asia less vulnerable to Chinese missile threats by giving them the means to project their deterrent power from further offshore. Cutting back purchases of the Navys DDG-1000 destroyer (with its deficient missile defense system) was a first step. A bigger one would be to reduce the Navys reliance on short-range manned strike aircraft like the F-18 and the F-35, in favor of the carrier-launched NUCAS ...."[30] On 6 January 2011, the DOD announced that this would be one area of additional investment in the 2012 budget request.[31]

USAF Hunter-Killer
Main article: USAF Hunter-Killer Scaled Composites Model 395 Scaled Composites Model 396 General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (originally the Predator B) Aurora Flight Sciences/Israel Aircraft Industries Eagle/Heron 2 Unnamed Lockheed Martin entry

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The United States Air Force has shifted its UCAV program from medium-range tactical strike aircraft to long-range strategic bombers.[28] The technology of the Long Range Strike program is based on the Lockheed Martin Polecat demonstrator.

Sagem Sperwer
Main article: SAGEM Sperwer The Sagem Sperwer B is a long endurance tactical UAV. The Sperwer can carry two Rafael-made Spike LR missiles for 12 hours (can be extended to 20) with a range of 200 km.[citation needed ] All ground facilities of the Sperwer SDT (used by France, Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Canada and Denmark) are compatible with the Sperwer B.

Elbit Hermes 450

Main article: Elbit Hermes 450
Sagem Sperwer B (not weaponized on this photo)

The Israeli Air Force, which operates a squadron of Hermes 450s out of Palmachim Airbase south of Tel Aviv, has adapted the Hermes 450 for use as an assault UAV, reportedly equipping it with two Hellfire missiles or, according to various sources, two Rafael-made missiles. According to Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese and independent reports, the Israeli assault UAV has seen extensive service in the Gaza Strip and was used intensively in the Second Lebanon War. Israel has not denied this capability, but to date, its policy has been not to officially confirm it either.

Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System (LMAMS)

The LMAMS is a man carried missile with many UAV characteristics such as loitering time and a hand-held ground station.[32][33]

See also
History of unmanned aerial vehicles History of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles UXV Combatant A proposal for a ship dedicated to UCAVs being designed for the Royal Navy List of unmanned aerial vehicles Drone attacks in Pakistan

References
1. ^ "Robot Television Bomber" (http://books.google.com/books? id=19kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA805&dq=Popular+Science+1933+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&hl=en&ei=sX YNTvyADIGLsAK8pbSRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage &q&f=true) Popular Mechanics June 1940 2. ^ Irans Asymmetric Naval Warfare, Policy Focus #87, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, September 2008
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3. ^ Gal-Or, Benjamin (1990). Vectored Propulsion, Supermaneuverability & Robot Aircraft. Springer Verlag. ISBN 0-387-97161-0. 4. ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-germanys-first-heron-uav-emerges-338601/ 5. ^ http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/512-20022.aspx#startofcomments 6. ^ "India joins select group to develop UCAV technology" (http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/27/stories/2007082759890400.htm) . The Hindu. 27 August 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/27/stories/2007082759890400.htm. 7. ^ "N. Korea developing unmanned attack aircraft from U.S. drones: source" (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2012/02/05/17/0401000000AEN20120205000900315F.HTML) . Yonhap. 2012-02-05. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2012/02/05/17/0401000000AEN20120205000900315F.HTML. Retrieved 19 June 2012. 8. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-struggles-race-develop-armed-drones-191812934.html 9. ^ http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Israel-and-Russia-in-UAV-Deal-05459/ 10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAJlgahx-x8%7CTaiwan conceptual UAVs and UCAVs 11. ^ http://zuilon2000.pixnet.net/album/photo/158242292-photo-0633.jpg%7C2011 TADTE from Taipei 12. ^ Legal Implications of the Uninhabited Combat Aerial Vehicle Air & Space Power Journal (http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/lazarski.html) 13. ^ Dozier, Kimberly (May 21, 2012). "Who will drones target? Who in the US will decide?" (http://bigstory.ap.org/content/who-will-drones-target-who-us-will-decide) . Associated Press. http://bigstory.ap.org/content/who-will-drones-target-who-us-will-decide. Retrieved 8 January 2013. 14. ^ Stress of combat reaches drone crews (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/18/nation/la-na-drone-stress20120318/2) March 18, 2012|By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times 15. ^ Report: High Levels Of 'Burnout' In U.S. Drone Pilots (http://www.npr.org/2011/12/19/143926857/report-highlevels-of-burnout-in-u-s-drone-pilots) , by Rachel Martin, NPR.org, Dec 19 2011 16. ^ UN News Centre, "UN rights expert voices concern over use of unmanned drones by United States", 28 October 2009 (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32764&Cr=alston&Cr1=) 17. ^ John O. Brennan (30 April 2012). "The Ethics and Efficacy of the Presidents Counterterrorism Strategy" (http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-efficacy-and-ethics-us-counterterrorism-strategy) . Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-efficacy-and-ethics-us-counterterrorismstrategy. Retrieved 1 May 2012. 18. ^ Owens, Hudson L.; Flannes, M. (2011). "Drone Warfare: Blowback from the New American Way of War". Middle East Policy 18: 122132. 19. ^ Alex Rodriguez; David Zucchino; David S. Cloud (May 2, 2010). "U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan get mixed response" (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-drones-civilians-20100502,0,5865041.story) . Los Angeles Times: p. 2. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-drones-civilians20100502,0,5865041.story. 20. ^ Anatomy of an Afghan war tragedy (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-drone20110410,0,2818134,full.story) , David S. Cloud, Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2011 21. ^ Drone operators blamed in airstrike that killed Afghan civilians in February (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/29/AR2010052901390.html) , Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, Sunday, May 30, 2010 22. ^ Smith, Jordan Michael (5 September 2012). "Drone "blowback" is real A new analysis finds five ways drone strikes in Yemen are hurting American interests" (http://www.salon.com/2012/09/05/drone_blowback_is_real/) . Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/2012/09/05/drone_blowback_is_real/. Retrieved 8 September 2012. 23. ^ Cole, Jim and Chris Wright. "Drone Wars UK." January 2010. http://dronewarsuk.wordpress.com/aboutdrone/ 24. ^ Mikoyan-Gurevitch Skat in Aviation Week (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp? id=news/MIG082307.xml&headline=First%20Look%20At%20MiG%20Skat%20UCAV%20%5BUpdated%5D&cha nnel=null) 25. ^ "Iran unveils first bomber drone" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11052023) . BBC News. 22 August 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11052023. 26. ^ http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100208/157809895.html
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27. ^ http://ias100.in/news_details.php?id=40 28. ^ a b "Pentagon Sets Plan For New Bomber, Terminates J-UCAS Program" (http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2006/060113-j-ucas-terminated.htm) , by Jason Sherman, GlobalSecurity.org, 13 January 2006 29. ^ "Carrier UCAVs: The Return of UCAS" (http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/cv-ucavs-the-return-of-ucas03557/) , Defense Industry Daily, 7 February 2010 30. ^ Editorial (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/opinion/02sun2.html?hp) , The New York Times, January 1, 2011 (January 2, 2011 p. WK7 NY ed.). Retrieved 2011-01-02. 31. ^ "Gates Reveals Budget Efficiencies, Reinvestment Possibilities." (http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=62351) 32. ^ "Request for Information (RFI) - A Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System (LMAMS)." (https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=711518492bcb26b863ad4eee787491f0) United States Army, 5 February 2010. 33. ^ Eshel, Tamir. "Aerovironment, Textron Systems, IAT to Deliver Lethal Mini-Drone Prototypes in Four Months." (http://defense-update.com/wp/20101231_lmams.html) Defense-Update, 31 December 2010.

External links
Wired for War: The Future of Military Robots by (http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0828_robots_singer.aspx) P. W. Singer Current Unmanned Vehicles and Systems (http://www.lmc-us.com) Article on Sperwer system (http://www.defense-update.com/products/s/sperwer.htm) Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) (http://www.darpa.mil/j-ucas/index.htm) Saab UAV/UCAV info page (http://www.saabgroup.com/en/Air/Airborne-Solutions/?tab=62) Unmanned Aerial Systems, Mini UAV (http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-2-04/feature-mav.htm) UCAVs Panacea or Pipe Dream? (http://www.ausairpower.net/TE-UCAV-2003.html) Chinese UCAV-converted J-5,J-6,J-7 (http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/uav/ucav.asp) Israel sets combat drones against missile launchers in Gaza (http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/07/front2454229.238888889.html) , World Tribune, May 8, 2007 Israel Starts Reexamining Military Missions and Technology (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw082106p2.xml) , Aviation Week & Space Technology, August 20, 2006 UAVs and UCAVs: developments in the European Union (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/studies/download.do?file=19483) A briefing paper for the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence. Reprieve.org.uk Drone strike Investigations (http://www.reprieve.org.uk/investigations/drones/) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unmanned_combat_air_vehicle&oldid=536642097" Categories: Unmanned aerial vehicles Airborne military robots This page was last modified on 5 February 2013 at 04:59. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of Use for details. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

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