The Pentagon is looking for new air platforms for reconnaissance systems
UAV MQ-9C Gray Eagle - a modern carrier of aerial reconnaissance. Photos of General Atomics
It became known that the Pentagon is looking for new ways to deploy aerial reconnaissance systems. To accommodate special equipment, it is proposed to use various air platforms with sufficient carrying capacity, capable of carrying out controlled flight and staying in the air for a long time. Unmanned aircraft, airships, balloons and even kites are being considered.
prospects for exploration
On October 5 and 6, a summit was held at the headquarters of the US Army Central Command (USCENTCOM) in Florida, dedicated to the development of "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance" (ISR). The event was attended by approx. 200 representatives of various army structures, scientific organizations and enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
The main topic of the summit was the search for alternative technical solutions in the field of carriers of ISR air systems. Experts discussed existing platforms for reconnaissance equipment and identified their strengths and weaknesses. New proposals were also made on the introduction of this or that technique in this area.
USCENTCOM believes that the observed changes in the military and political environment place new demands on aerial reconnaissance assets. In fact, a fundamentally new approach to the construction of such systems is required. They plan to solve this problem within the framework of various summits and conferences, which will create the basis for real development work.
Experimental ultra-long-duration UAV Vanilla UAV. Vanilla Unmanned Photos
The summit was held behind closed doors, without the participation of the press and outside visitors. The details of the event were not officially disclosed. The message from the Central Command predictably contains only the most general phrases and formulations. What exactly was discussed at the last summit, what ideas were proposed by the participants, and how they were accepted by the military scientific community, was not specified.
New Details
Some details soon became known. On October 10, The Drive / The War Zone published information received from USCENTCOM spokesman Colonel Joe Bucchino. For obvious reasons, the officer revealed only the most general ideas and did without details, but these data are of interest.
Colonel Buchino said that experts are studying several options for reconnaissance equipment carriers. As such an air platform, unmanned aircraft with an electric power plant, including solar panels, are considered. Also of interest are kites and aircraft lighter than air - balloons or airships.
A USCENTCOM representative said that during the summit, experts from various organizations reviewed several existing projects of this kind. What kind of aircraft were studied, and what conclusions were made, is not mentioned.
Experienced drone Zephyr S. Photo by Airbus
Target equipment imposes certain requirements on air platforms, which complicates projects in general. For this reason, it is necessary to develop devices, reducing their size and weight. At the same time, performance should remain the same or even increase.
Unmanned aircraft
Colonel J. Bucchino mentioned that real projects were considered at the last event. Edition The War Zone tried to determine the possible range of such developments that are potentially of interest to the Pentagon. In addition, they recalled that the military department has been studying new platforms for ISR for quite a long time.
Last spring, the US Navy conducted the Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21 (UxS IBP 21) exercise, which tested various unmanned platforms. So, as a carrier of reconnaissance devices, an ultra-long flight duration UAV from Vanilla Unmanned was tested. For several days, this device remained in the air and monitored the actions of a mock enemy.
A potential platform for ISR could be an experimental Zephyr S UAV from Airbus, equipped with an electric propulsion system and solar panels. This summer, the experimental aircraft made a flight lasting 64 days. If not for the breakdown and crash, he could have stayed in the air even longer.
Aerostat Thunderhead. Photo Raven Aerostar
Other similar UAVs are being developed, and all such projects are based on common solutions. Aircraft of this kind are built according to the general scheme, which gives an increase in aerodynamic qualities. Electric propulsion systems powered by batteries and solar panels are used. At the same time, such structures do not differ in high weight perfection and carry a limited payload.
lighter than air
The USCENTCOM representative also mentioned lighter-than-air aircraft. The military use of balloons and airships in general is not a novelty, although modern ISR facilities for such equipment, as far as is known, have not been installed. However, this direction is being studied, and The War Zone recalls promising projects brought to full-fledged flight tests.
So, for several years, Aerostar, a member of Raven Industries, has been developing the Thunderhead high-altitude balloon. Such an apparatus carries out flight due to a cylinder with light gas. At the same time, there are navigation and control tools on board, with the help of which it can maintain a given position or fly in the right direction. Such capabilities have been repeatedly demonstrated in tests.
Thunderhead can work alone or in groups, incl. with data exchange between individual balloons. The installation of various payloads is envisaged. In particular, earlier the device was considered as a carrier of a repeater for organizing communications in remote areas. There is also a fundamental possibility of installing reconnaissance equipment and communication devices for transmitting the collected data.
Stratobus airship concept. Thales Alenia Graphics
At the same time, several projects of high-altitude airships capable of carrying various equipment are being developed. For example, Thales Alenia offers the Stratobus project. It will be an electric airship capable of staying in the air for weeks or months, at one position or on a given route. Solar panels will ensure the operation of the installed equipment, which may be the ISR complex.
Past and Future
In the distant past, airplanes and balloons with cameras and other special equipment were the main means of reconnaissance of the territory of a potential enemy. In the future, such equipment was abandoned due to increased risks and the availability of a more convenient and safer alternative in the form of space reconnaissance. Later, part of the tasks of the ISR was transferred to UAVs of various classes.
Now it is proposed to expand the capabilities of unmanned aircraft, as well as return to reconnaissance balloons. This is facilitated by both technical progress and the specifics of recent local conflicts. Unmanned aerial vehicles get the opportunity to operate almost freely in the airspace of a potential or real enemy, and their loss is not a fundamental problem.
Research in the field of high-altitude aircraft with ultra-long range and flight duration began quite a long time ago. However, now the Pentagon is seriously interested in them. Practical events are being held and summits are being held. This means that in the foreseeable future, new real reconnaissance assets can be created on the basis of the current experimental projects. Whether they justify the current hopes, time will tell.
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