Building Developing Air Forces Around Remotely Piloted Aircraft
Abstract
With the price of aircraft continuing to increase as more capable technology is added onto platforms, the cost to develop an air force is continually on the rise. A cost-effective way to build an air force is through Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). These platforms offer a diverse set of capabilities at significantly reduced cost, and their capabilities will continue to expand over time. The purpose of this research paper is to show that developing countries, with limited budgets, can build an air force around RPAs instead of more expensive alternatives. Africa is the test case for this paper because of its unique security situation. Most African countries focus on internal security threats instead of external threats. Internal and non-state actor security issues such as terrorism, drug trafficking, piracy, organized criminal activities, and migration plague Africas ungoverned spaces. RPA distinguishing characteristics make them well suited for critical infrastructure protection, counter-piracy, counter-drug, disaster relief, humanitarian aid, search and rescue, and counter-terrorism missions. All these missions apply directly to the irregular threats from non-state actors in Africa today. When comparing RPAs to manned aircraft there is a significant savings over the lifetime of the aircraft from initial procurement, sustainment, and training. The two main obstacles to developing nations wanting to build an air force around RPAs are strict export policies and regulations, and the integration of RPAs into the national airspace. Recommended changes to the Missile Technology Control Regime can open up the US defense industry to export RPAs, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has targeted 2020 to produce a MQ-9 variant able to fly unrestricted in national airspace. With these two changes implemented, the conditions for developing countries to build an air force around RPA capabilities will be set.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 28, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1107329
Entities
People
- Ryan Weisiger
Organizations
- Air War College