Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2005-2030 - Federation of ...

UAS ROADMAP 2005
film can. Primary drawbacks to wet film are the lack of a near-real-time capability and the extensive
processing facility needs. Improvements to film processing recently have drastically reduced the
requirements for purified water, and the post-processing hazardous material disposal problem, but it still
poses a requirement for specialized ground handling equipment. USAF will terminate funding for Optical
Bar Camera operations and maintenance in FY08.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Multispectral/Hyperspectral Imagery (MSI/HSI). Multispectral (tens of bands) and hyperspectral
(hundreds of bands) imagery combine the attributes of panchromatic sensors to form a literal image of a
target with the ability to extract more subtle information. Commercial satellite products (such as land
remote-sensing satellite (LANDSAT) or systeme pour l’observation de la terre (SPOT)) have made
multispectral data a mainstay of civil applications, with resolution on the order of meters or tens of
meters. Systems designed for military applications are beginning to be tested and in some cases fielded.
Military applications of HSI technology provide the promise for an ability to detect and identify
particulates of chemical or biological agents. Passive HSI imaging of aerosol clouds could provide
advance warning of an unconventional attack. The obvious application for this technology is in the area
of battlefield reconnaissance as well as homeland defense. Though this technology is less mature than
HSI as an imaging system, it should none the less be pursued as a solution to an urgent national
requirement. HSI also provides an excellent counter to common camouflage, concealment, and denial
(CCD) tactics used by adversaries.
Presently, the U-2’s SYERS 2 is the only operational airborne military multi-spectral sensor, providing 7
bands of visual and infrared imagery at high resolution. A prototype hyperspectral imager, the Spectral
Infrared Remote Imaging Transition Testbed (SPIRITT), is in work at the Air Force Research Laboratory.
This sensor is intended for testing on larger high altitude platforms such as Global Hawk, but could also
be carried on the MQ-9 Predator. USAF has also demonstrated a near visual/visual band hyperspectral
system in the TALON RADIANCE series of demonstrations, focused primarily on solving the “tanksunder-trees”
problem.
The Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) is preparing to demonstrate a
TUAV-class EO/IR sensor with minor modifications to give it multispectral capability. In addition,
NVESD is developing the daytime Compact Army Spectral Sensor (COMPASS) and the day/night
Hyperspectral Longwave Imager for the Tactical Environment (HyLITE) specifically for UA platforms at
the brigade and division level.
The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) developed the WAR HORSE visible/near-infrared hyperspectral
sensor system, which has been demonstrated on the Predator UA. More recently NRL had developed a
complementary short-wave-infrared hyperspectral sensor and has demonstrated the sensor on a UA
surrogate platform (Twin Otter).
Other short- and long-wave infrared hyperspectral sensors are currently under development to provide a
high-altitude stand-off capability for larger manned and unmanned platforms. DoD believes that
hyperspectral imagery offers enormous promise.
HSI phenomenology/ground truth. The primary difficulty holding MSI/HSI sensors back from
widespread employment is the lack of/fragility of the spectral signatures available to identify
targets/phenomenology over a broad range of environmental and operational options. While there have
been very successful demonstrations illustrating the wide ranging potential of the technology, many of
these demonstrations relied on employment under specific illumination conditions (i.e., fly at nearly the
same time each day, restrictions on cloud cover) and often required nadir operations to ensure uniform
pixel shape although TALON RADIANCE has demonstrated off-nadir operation. Deviation from these
constraints has historically resulted in unacceptable false alarm rates for target detection applications. To
achieve even the results obtained to date, substantial on-board processing or a large data transfer
capability to the ground processing element is necessary.
APPENDIX B – SENSORS
Page B-3