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

UAS ROADMAP 2005
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) enters its fourth year, the contributions of unmanned aircraft
(UA) * in sorties, hours, and expanded roles continue to increase. As of September 2004, some twenty
types of coalition UA, large and small, have flown over 100,000 total flight hours in support of Operation
ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). Their once reconnaissanceonly
role is now shared with strike, force protection, and signals collection, and, in doing so, have helped
reduce the complexity and time lag in the sensor-to-shooter chain for acting on “actionable intelligence.”
UA systems (UAS) continue to expand, encompassing a broad range of mission capabilities. These
diverse systems range in cost from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars, and range in
capability from Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) weighing less than one pound to aircraft weighing over
40,000 pounds. UA, and unmanned systems in general, are changing the conduct of military operations
in the GWOT by providing unrelenting pursuit without offering the terrorist a high value target or a
potential captive.
As the Department of Defense (DoD) develops and employs an increasingly sophisticated force of
unmanned systems, including UA over the next 25 years (2005 to 2030), technologists, acquisition
officials, and operational planners require a clear, coordinated plan for the evolution and transition of this
capability. The overarching goal of this Roadmap, in following the Strategic Planning Guidance (SPG),
is to guide the Military Departments and defense agencies toward a logical, systematic migration of
mission capabilities to this new class of military tools. The goal is to address the most urgent mission
needs that are supported both technologically and operationally by various UAS. Some DoD missions
can be supported by the current state of the art in unmanned technology where the capabilities of current
or near-term assets are sufficient and the risk to DoD members is relatively low. Other mission areas,
however, are in urgent need of additional capability and present high risk to aircraft crews. These mission
areas, highlighted in this Roadmap, will receive significant near-term effort by the Department.
Each Service is developing a wide range of UAS capabilities, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense
(OSD) is responsible for ensuring these capabilities support the Department’s larger goals of fielding
transformational capabilities, establishing joint standards, and controlling costs. OSD is establishing the
following broad goals to achieve key UAS capabilities. The organizations in parenthesis are those which
must cooperatively engage to attain the stated goal.
1. Develop and operationally assess for potential fielding, a joint unmanned combat aircraft system
capable of performing Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD)/Strike/Electronic
Attack/Intelligence Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in high threat environments. (OSD,
USAF, USN)
2. Field secure Common Data Link (CDL) communications systems for aircraft control and sensor
product data distribution for all tactical and larger UA, with improved capability to prevent
interception, interference, jamming, and hijacking. Migrate to Joint Tactical Radio System
(JTRS)/Software Communications Architecture (SCA) compliant capability when available. (OSD,
USA,USAF, USN, USMC)
3. Ensure compliance with the existing DoD/Intelligence Community Motion Imagery Standards Board
metadata standard and profiles for all full motion video capable UA. Operationally demonstrate and
* This roadmap adopts the terminology unmanned aircraft (UA), rather than unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), when
referring to the flying component of an unmanned aircraft system. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are the focus
of this roadmap. This change in terminology more clearly emphasizes that the aircraft is only one component of the
system, and is in line with the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to treat “UAVs” as aircraft for regulatory
purposes.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Page i