The Aviation Detachment in the U.S. Army's Unit of Action: Full Spectrum Dominance

Abstract

This paper examines the currently proposed composition of the U.S. Army's Unit of Action Aviation Detachment, twelve Comanches and eight TUAVs, and attempts to evaluate this mix of platforms to determine if it will provide the Unit of Action commander with the right tools to shape his fight. In order to make this evaluation, empirical data from Aviation and Troop Command / Joint Combat And Tactical Simulation (ATCOM / JCATS) was analyzed to determine the operational performance, survivability, and sustainability of the detachment. The scenario replicated within the simulation was a high intensity, early entry scenario, a scenario in which the entire UA is supposed to be able to conduct autonomous operations for seventy-two hours. Based on the established criteria, this paper concludes that, with reservation, the twelve RAH-66s and eight TUAV mix did provide the commander the tools needed to accomplish his mission. The reservation is based on a gap in coverage the research uncovered. In order to compensate for this break in coverage, and to provide the commander with the optimal mix, the author recommends that an additional Comanche be allocated to each of the two troops within the detachment, and that no degradation be made to the quantity of TUAVs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416207

Entities

People

  • Mark A. Moser

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Attack Helicopters
  • Close Support
  • Combat Forces
  • Combat Operations
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Logistics
  • Maintenance
  • Precision-Guided Munitions
  • Rotary Wing Aircraft
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Regression Analysis.
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.