Here’s an interesting story we’re running at Military.com today. The use of UAVs on an increasing number of Naval platforms is remarkable in its own right. But it seems to me also that as this continues, the size of the platform from which UAVs operate could get smaller and smaller.
Guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), completed a robust testing phase of the ScanEagle, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Nov. 17, en route to the Central Command area of operations as part of the ongoing rotation to support Maritime Security Operations.
“ScanEagle is an incredible asset not only for this ship, but the Navy too,” said Oscar Austin’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Eric Weilenman. “It gives me great [subject awareness] on what’s around the ship and allows me to keep my visit, board, search, and seizure teams aware of their environment because the UAV provides positive identification on vessels of interest, which allows me to pass accurate security information to my Sailors as they prepare to board.”
While in flight, ScanEagle provides live, high-quality video that helps develop and maintain a Recognized Maritime Picture and further enhances Maritime Domain Awareness.
It seems to me that you could walk down this logical path to the Army’s Future Combat Systems concept. As the launch and recovery methodologies get more deployable, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine tanks and APCs carrying their own UAVs to survey the road ahead and recover back to the tank.
Contractors operate the UAV while Navy intelligence specialists and flight deck crew work side-by-side with the civilians.
“ScanEagle is launched by a pneumatic wedge catapult launcher and flies off pre-programmed computerized files or operators (like myself) to initiate the mission,” said Hamann.
“When retrieved, we use what is called a ‘Skyhook’ system, where the UAV catches a rope that is hanging from a 50-foot high pole,” Hamann added.
The last ship that deployed with ScanEagle, USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), completed 19 missions and 933 flight hours.
The software and back-end technology are there, but maybe it’s the bandwidth and launch/recovery phase that are still the sticking points (and money and complexity, ya ya ya…).
(Gouge: ED)
Photo from Boeing
UAVs are always fun to read about. I’m looking forward to the first UAV deployed by a UGV or USV.
No idea if it’s a good military idea or not — it just sounds cool to have a robot ship launch it’s own robot plane.
“…it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine tanks and APCs carrying their own UAVs to survey the road ahead and recover back to the tank.“
Just like C&C: Generals!! OMG!
Could the Raven UAV be used by individual tanks & APCs or is it considered to big for that?
Oops,meant “too big”.
The only thing I don’t like about this story is how contractors are the actual pilots of these UAVs. It’d be nice if it actual military personnel were trained to use them…
Outsourcing Andrew, the new way of projecting military power.
I remember during Gulf War I the battleships used UAVs for spotting their 16 inch guns. The Iraqis would hear the drones overhead and surrender automatically.
But the trouble definitely is in the recovery. The UAVs on the battleships flew into a net held up by two posts. The cable and hook method is certainly interesting and perhaps prone to more accidents. I’m sure you have to be pretty dead on to recover.
Oh and the battleships had NAVY crews piloting the UAVs from shipping containers sitting near the fantail.
DC2
The scan eagle assembly, launch and recovery systems plus UAV are not big, but do require some space.
The question I have is whether the UAVs are in substitute of helicopters.
To me, if it is a substitute that would be a net loss, not net gain of capability.
Just a suspicion, but should “subject awareness” actually be “situational awareness”? That is the normal expansion of the acronym SA.
One certainly hopes that the deployment platform will get smaller and smaller. UAVs are central to the operational concept of the Littoral Combat Ships that the U.S. is currently prototyping, and they are about a third the size of a destroyer as measured by tons displaced.
Driving down the road with a UAV hovering overhead has been done, we did it with Ravens, on a few missions, just have to have a good pilot, and recovery plan for if something happends to it
When I first glanced at the photo, I thought “Cool, a swing-wing sub launched UAV!“
Not yet, but coming soon no doubt.
DC2 you said it. This is nothing new. The Battleships did a great job of operating UAV’s and the Pioneer was not that bad. To bad it has taken the Navy over 15 years to re-invent the wheel. They should have never decom the Battleships.
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