Filling the Airpower Vacuum

Abstract

The Air Force faces strategic risk due to a shortage of fighter pilots and limited fifth-generation fighter procurement. This paper explores an option to provide a tactical force through an unmanned aerial system without adding to the fighter pilot requirement. The Air Force cancelled the next generation of unmanned aerial systems that would provide this capability. However, the Air Force can provide tactical capability at low cost by producing a MQ-16 from the QF-16 program. Such a program will allow the Air Force to develop long-term unmanned aerial systems technology while providing near-term capability to fill the gap created by the limited procurement of fifth-generation fighters.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA589291

Entities

People

  • Todd A. Murphey

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Control Systems
  • Electronically Scanned Array
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Ground Control Stations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Unmanned Systems
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs