Version/ Public Release 0.6.9 posted on Wednesday, September 27, 2000. Version/ Public Release 1.2.2 posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 and scored 47 % by undergraduate professor with academic experience ("impractical perspectives on UGV/ UAV technology" and "lack of understanding of UGV/ UAV danger in relation to big brother.") Version/ Public Release 1.1.3 posted on Monday, February 18, 2002. Version/ Public Release 1.5.3 posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2006.
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UGV-UAV: Projection, Protection, and Survivability
Roy Mitsuoka
Lockheed Martin
Spring 2005
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
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INTRODUCTION
Sometime in the future, in an unknown part of the world, the United States and its allies are threatened by a hostile nation armed with advanced weapons and forces. Far from a host nation, the United States and its allies must travel long distances, only to face advanced weapons and forces. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) are positioned to locate and attack each element of the advanced weapons and forces, without jeopardizing or risking lives. The unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) infiltrate hostile airspace and hostile land with limited detection, jam enemy radars and communications, and systematically destroy the network of advanced weapons and certain forces, clearing the way for the United States and its allies. During the conflict, the unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) exploit their endurance and sizable advanced weapons, continuing to locate and eliminate high value targets. After the successful conclusion of hostilities, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) assist in boarder and urban restrictions and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) assist in fly zone restrictions and urban restrictions.
Although this may sound like science fiction, the technologies and capabilities are being developed today. A joint effort between Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, United States Army, the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, Australia Department of Defense, and Israel Ministry of Defense are exploring the potential that unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) could bring to force projection, force protection, and force survivability.
Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) will become and must become a major part of intelligence. Intelligence is an element of combat power and a combat multiplier which enables one to see first, understand first, act first, and finish decisively. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) will provide critical intelligence without jeopardizing lives and risking lives. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) will also provide the intelligence to support line of sight and beyond line of sight reconnaissance, fires, and over watch. At the same time, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) will provide greater understanding of the effects of combat power through rapid movement, target identification, target engagement, and battle damage assessment.
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BODY
Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) provide critical relay points and capability needed to support intelligence and joint forces to the lowest entity on the battlefield.
As force transformation takes place from a division centric force to a modular brigade force, the new force structure will enable tailored responses through selective mixtures of units that meet the needs of the mission. As a result, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) will be relied upon more heavily for intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, fire, and over watch. As the basic unit of action in a modular brigade force, the brigade combat team, must be supported by a wide range of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) for robust command and control, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, fire, and over watch.
Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) must be established at each echelon of command to enhance the execution of joint forces and operations by the current force and by the new force. While developing unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) to provide dominant land, air, and space power, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) must meet the needs of the current force, the new force, and the security challenges of the twenty first century. Key for unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) to meet operational requirements is assessments must involve interviewing field forces and understanding the trends of joint forces.
Current and future unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) must be in line with field assessments and develop the following capabilities as soon as possible.
1) Common operating environment, common computer hardware, common computer software, and battle command communication management.
- Certification and regulation to allow for peacetime surveillance, peacekeeping,
peace enforcement, and disaster relief operations.
- Able to serve as communication nodes to provide theater and tactical users with enhanced connectivity, collaborative sensing and sensor cueing, clearer reception, reduced vulnerability to jamming, missile launch warning, and radar operations.
2) Self-repairing, damage-compensating, and survivable.
- Unprecedented reliability, maintainability, and operation availability in a manner that
reduces the quantity of logistics support.
- Reusable and durable against environmental effects.
- Anti-tamper capability.
- Embedded autonomous flight and navigation, with safe flight protocol. Ability to sense and avoid in the global air traffic management system.
4) Efficient engine for increased speed and endurance.
- Power sources readily available, compatible fuels and power cells.
- Alternate fuel cells for silent flight.
5) Efficient dissemination of information to warfighters through on board, real time processing, higher data rates, and covert transmission.
- Ability to sense and report personnel and vehicles at any time.
- Ability to report target and platform location.
- Ability to detect and report target location and direction of target to unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV).
- Faster targeting processing with more precise terrain mapping.
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CONCLUSION
Development of versatile and capable unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) is in sight. However, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) can not take human beings out of the operational space completely. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) and unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) will provide intelligence and situational awareness that enhances force projection, force protection, and force survivability with greater lethality.
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SOURCES
1) Lockheed Martin. (2002 – 2004.) Future Combat Systems. Interview, online, and telephone collaborative effort.
