2001 Assessment of the Office of Naval Research's Aircraft Technology Program (2001) / Chapter Skim
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6. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles / Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles
6. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles / Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles
Pages 29-37
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From page 29... ...
A multiplicity of cooperating and largely autonomous UAV sensor/ communication platforms are integral to the vision of network-centric operations, as was discussed in a recent Naval Studies Board report. In several other recent NSB reports,2~3 it was pointed out that the Navy currently lacks an adequate organic airborne sensor with the capabilities needed to target many of its long-range precision weapons or to supply defense against overland cruise missiles attacking forces ashore.
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From page 30... ...
The UCAV-N program has been incorporated into the Time Critical Strike FNC. Along with the Autonomous Operations FNC, ONR 35 has an enormous opportunity to rapidly advance UAV/UCAV technology, with early transition as a prime objective.
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From page 31... ...
ONR has requested another $300,000 to perform post-ATD flight demonstrations in FY02. Assuming success of the flight tests, the challenge remaining is to transition the CRW concept into future NavY UAV/UCAV designs or nerhans to position it as a candidate future upgrade for the NavY' s helicopter-like vertical takeoff and landing tactical uninhabited aerial vehicle (VTUAV)
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From page 32... ...
Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle-Navy The goal of the Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle-Navy (UCAV-N) ATD program is to demonstrate the technical ability of a UCAV system to effectively and affordably prosecute sea-based surveillance, suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD)
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From page 33... ...
~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ '~ ~ _ ·~~ - ~ ~ the generic objective of the Autonomous Operations PN(: is to develop technologies that will dramatically increase the performance and affordability of naval organic unmanned vehicle systems. The UAV autonomy program, in particular, seeks to produce an autonomous, intelligent, real-time surveillance and reconnaissance capability that will permit UAVs/UCAVs to perform various missions with effectiveness comparable to that of manned aircraft yet with a greatly reduced need for human intervention.
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From page 34... ...
As currently envisioned, these efforts culminate in a series of time-phased demonstrations of risk reduction technology that sequentially address situational awareness, multivehicle collaboration, and intelligent autonomy. The term "intelligent autonomy" seems to encompass the complete range of autonomous man-machine combinations from total operator control to fully autonomous, no-link operation, including all of the mission and task capabilities proven in the first two risk reduction demonstrations.
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From page 35... ...
The committee also recommends that the work of the Air Force Studies Board summer study on automation in combat aircraft be considered in the formation of the ONR program. The committee recommends that ONR exploit advances made by others in autonomous navigation, vehicle management, and sensor management and that it sharply curtail additional investments in these areas.
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From page 36... ...
Furthermore, in spite of the critical importance of reliable autonomous behavior for future manned and unmanned naval systems, autonomy, as a technological discipline. remains diffuse and immature.
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From page 37... ...
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES/UNMANNED COMBAT AIR VEHICLES 37 and design practices, including the introduction of meaningful figures of merit for trading off such parameters as machine versus human functionality. · Because of the need for mission performance to be highly reliable perhaps as reliable as safe manned flight the fault tolerance and fail-safe characteristics of all flight-safety-critical control technologies on UAVs and UCAVs should be extended, as required, to ensure that missioncritical functions are performed reliably.
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