Application of Small Unmanned Air Vehicles in Network Centric Warfare
Abstract
Real-time and detailed information is critical to the success of ground combat forces. Current manned reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) capabilities are not sufficient to cover battlefield intelligence gaps, provide Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) targeting, and the ambush avoidance information necessary for combat forces operating in hostile situations, complex terrain, and conducting military operations in urban terrain. The US Army has developed a program, known as Networked Sensors for Combat Forces (NSfCF), in order to develop an advanced networked unmanned/unattended sensor system which can surveil gaps and provide the Commander with real-time, pertinent information. Through the use of networked unmanned sensors to provide remote monitoring of gaps, NSfCF will increase a unit's area of coverage, and will provide the commander organic assets to complete his Battlefield Situational Awareness (BSA) picture for direct and indirect fire weapons, early warning, and threat avoidance. The NSfCF program as a whole is developing sensor packages for unmanned ground vehicles, Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAV), and unattended ground sensors using advanced sensor technologies. This paper will focus on the role of the SUAV as an asset which is controlled from an integrated Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition hub vehicle serving as an extended range sensor to provide beyond line of sight video data for timely threat detection, recognition, identification, and targeting. The ability of the SUAV to quickly react to mission changes such as evaluating alarms from an array of networked unattended ground sensors will also be reviewed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA471933
Entities
People
- Frank Herbst
- Gene Klager
- Richard Wright
Organizations
- United States Army Communications-Electronics Command