The Army’s strategic vision for their own UAV force has been more or less in motion for the past few years. First they wanted four classes of unmanned vehicles, each tasked with supporting a unique level of command (platoon, company, battalion, brigade). Smelling redundancy, Army leadership burned two of the classes late last year. Now the Army’s grand UAV strategy is sublime in its simplicity: buy a big, stinkin’ mess of ’em. Aviation Week reports:
About the only speaker at a London conference on unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) this week who was in favour of the US Army’s plans to operate a massive fleet of armed Sky Warriors was General Atomics-ASI’s Steve May. And so he should be: “The Army is now as large a customer for us as the Air Force,” May said. According to May, the Army is looking at acquiring as many as 45 complete Sky Warrior systems once full-rate production starts in 2011 – each with 12 air vehicles, 540 UAVs in all. The Sky Warrior resembles the USAF MQ-1L Predator but is heavier and more powerful, routinely carrying eight Hellfire missiles.
The Air Force is absolutely besides itself, of course. Not only is the Army moving in on fiercely guarded turf, they’re sacrificing a few of the Air Force’s most sacred cows in the process.
Aircrew training is proving a major challenge for the Air Force as it expands its own Predator fleet. Sustaining one Predator orbit takes four aircraft and 80 people, 50 of them deployed forward, says Col. Chris Chambliss, commander of the USAF’s 432d Wing. The wing aims to convert 240 students in 2007, and has extended its tours (three years for pilots, four for sensor operators) to reduce the training load as the USAF expands from 19 to 21 total orbits – well ahead of schedule – and has accelerated the deployment of the MQ-9 Reaper. The Army’s answer is to adopt a new ground station, provide the Warrior with automated take-off and landing and assign non-pilots to fly the aircraft. Sky Warrior Block 0 aircraft–pre-production versions–will be operational in February 2008, flown by Army aviators. Later aircraft, though, will be flown by non-pilot warrant officers.
Hands off landings? “Non-pilot” warrant officers? It’s enough to cause widespread hair loss at Air Force golf courses everywhere. HT: Danger Room
