TESTIMONY
OF
MAJOR GENERAL JAMES D. THURMAN
DIRECTOR, ARMY AVIATION TASK FORCE
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, ARMY
G-3
BEFORE THE
HOUSE
ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TACTICAL AIR AND LAND FORCES
REGARDING
US ARMY UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV)
PROGRAMS
March
17, 2004
CHAIRMAN WELDON, MR. ABERCROMBIE, AND
DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE, I
AM PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS THE
ARMY'S PROGRESS IN OUR UNMANNED AERIAL
VEHICLE, OR "UAV," PROGRAMS. I WELCOME THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY BEFORE YOU AND
APPRECIATE THE CONTINUED AND ONGOING SUPPORT
AND GUIDANCE OF THIS COMMITTEE AS ARMY UAV'S
MATURE AND EXPAND THEIR ROLE IN ENABLING THE
JOINT FORCE.
SINCE THE
START OF SUSTAINED COMBAT OPERATIONS FOR
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM ONE YEAR AGO THIS
WEEK, THE ARMY'S UAV CAPABILITIES HAVE
EXPANDED SIGNIFICANTLY. ALTHOUGH IT WAS
LIMITED AT THE OUTSET OF GROUND COMBAT
OPERATIONS, ARMY UAV CAPABILITY IN THEATER
HAS IMPROVED AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO OVER
THIS YEAR. THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT
FIGHT AND THE DAILY CHALLENGES OUR TROOPS
FACE INDICATE THAT UAV'S ARE CRITICAL TO
BOTH FORCE PROTECTION AND ENHANCING
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND INTELLIGENCE
GATHERING. DOCTOR LAMARTIN HAS GIVEN AN
EXCELLENT OVERVIEW ON DOD UAV EFFORTS -- I
WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND ON THE ARMY'S UAV
CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE AREAS WE SEE FOR
IMPROVEMENT.
THERE HAVE
BEEN MANY INSTANCES IN THE HISTORY OF
WARFARE WHERE THE NECESSITIES OF BATTLE HAVE
BECOME THE DRIVING FORCE OF THE DEVELOPMENT
OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES, OR THE ADAPTATION AND
REFINEMENT OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR
MILITARY PURPOSES. IN THIS CATEGORY, WE CAN
INCLUDE SUCH INNOVATIONS AS THE GATLING GUN,
THE TANK, RADAR, AIRPLANE, THE SUBMARINE,
AND, MORE RECENTLY, THE HELICOPTER.
SOMETIMES, WHEN THESE CAPABILITIES PROVIDE
SUCH A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE FOR ONE SIDE AT
THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHER IT OFTENTIMES TIPS
THE SCALE AND LEADS TO DECISIVE VICTORY. WE
COMMONLY REFER TO THIS AS A REVOLUTION IN
MILITARY AFFAIRS. CONCERNING UAV
TECHNOLOGIES, RARELY A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT
ANOTHER EMERGING DEVELOPMENT. I AM NOT
CERTAIN THAT UAVS WILL USHER IN AN ERA OF
REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS BUT THERE IS
NO DOUBT THAT OUR RECENT AND ONGOING
OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ, COUPLED
WITH OUR CONTINUING NEED TO DEFEND OUR
HOMELAND FROM TERRORISTS WILL DRIVE THE
DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH AIR AND GROUND UNMANNED
PLATFORMS TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THEY WILL
BECOME IMPORTANT, PERMANENT FIXTURES IN OUR
ARMED FORCES. FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN WITH
THE RECENT RAMPANT GROWTH OF UAV
CAPABILITIES, THESE SYSTEMS ARE CERTAINLY
COMING OF AGE AND HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL ON
THE BATTLEFIELD NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
THE FOCUS
OF MY REMARKS TODAY WILL BE ON THE ARMY'S
EXPERIENCE WITH UAV'S IN RECENT COMBAT
OPERATIONS. I WILL COMMENT ON WHAT
CAPABILITIES THESE SYSTEMS AFFORD OUR TROOPS
AT VARYING ECHELONS OF COMMAND. I WILL ALSO
DESCRIBE THE CHALLENGES WE'VE ENCOUNTERED
ALONG THE WAY AS WELL AS OUR PLANS FOR THE
FUTURE FORCE.
IN RECENT
TESTIMONY TO THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE ON MARCH 4, I DESCRIBED THE
RESULTS OF THE FOCUSED EFFORT OF ANALYSIS ON
ARMY AVIATION THAT GENERAL SCHOOMAKER
CHARGED ME TO LEAD. AS I'VE STATED
PREVIOUSLY, THAT UNDERTAKING - THE COMBINED
EFFORT OF HUNDREDS OF THE ARMY AND
INDUSTRIES "BEST AND BRIGHTEST" SUBJECT
MATTER AVIATION EXPERTS OVER SEVERAL MONTHS
OF DEDICATED ANALYSIS -- WAS DESIGNED TO
IDENTIFY AND CORRECT CHRONIC DEFICIENCES IN
ARMY AVIATION. ALTHOUGH MOST RECENTLY, THE
ARMY'S DECISION TO TERMINATE THE COMANCHE
PROGRAM HAS CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF MANY -
THAT AREA OF ANALYSIS WAS ONLY ONE OF A
MYRIAD OF SUBJECTS EXPLORED BY OUR TASK
FORCE. OUR APPROACH TOWARDS AVIATION WAS
HOLISTIC AS WE EXAMINED VIRTUALLY EVERY
FACET, INCLUDING UAVS. I CAN TELL YOU THAT
IT IS THE ARMY'S INTENT TO DEDICATE A PART
OF THE FUNDING GAINED FROM COMANCHE
REPROGRAMMING TO UAVS - I'LL ADDRESS THIS IN
MORE DETAIL LATER. ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE
DETAILED WORK REMAINS, IT PROVIDES THE BASIS
FOR SUBSEQUENT EFFORTS.
IN
PARALLEL WITH THE AVIATION FOCUS GROUP, THE
ARMY RECENTLY COMPLETED A COMPREHENSIVE
REVIEW ON THE CAPABILITIES OF OUR CURRENT
UAVS AND IDENTIFIED UAV CAPABILITIES
REQUIRED OF THE FUTURE FORCE. ADDITIONALLY,
WITH THE HELP OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS, WE
EXAMINED THE CAPABILITIES OF OUR SISTER
SERVICES AND THOSE OF FOREIGN NATIONS AS
WELL. THE UNITED STATES ARMY AVIATION
CENTER AT FORT RUCKER SIMULTANEOUSLY
COMPLETED A FUNCTIONAL AREA ASSESSMENT OF
UAVS THAT EXAMINED EVERY FACET OF OUR
INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH - DOCTRINE, TRAINING,
LEADER DEVELOPMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURE, MAINTENANCE, SUSTAINMENT,
PERSONNEL AND FACILITIES - WE KNOW THERE ARE
MANY CHALLENGES IN THESE AREAS TODAY AND
I'LL COMMENT ON MANY OF THEM. THIS EFFORT
ON THE FUNCTIONAL AREA ASSESSMENT FED INTO
THE ARMY'S CAPABILTIES REVIEW ON UAV'S; BOTH
EFFORTS WILL REINFORCE THE FOUNDATION FOR
OUR OVERALL STRATEGY ESTABLISHED BY THE DOD
UAV ROADMAP, PUBLISHED IN 2002 AND THE
ARMY'S UAV ROADMAP IN MAY OF 2003- I'LL
COMMENT SPECIFICALLY ON OUR FUTURE PLANS FOR
UAV'S LATER IN THIS SESSION. LASTLY, AS YOU
WOULD EXPECT, WE HAVE BEEN DIGESTING THE
LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR MOST RECENT COMBAT
EXPERIENCES WITH UAV'S. THIS WORK CONTINUES
WITH THE DEPLOYMENT OF AN ASSESSMENT TEAM OF
UAV EXPERTS TO IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
SCHEDULED TO OCCUR LATER THIS MONTH AND INTO
APRIL. ALL OF THESE EXPERIENCES WILL BE
INCORPORATED INTO OUR UAV REPORT TO
CONGRESS, REQUIRED BY THE SENATE ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEE, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE
COMPLETED IN APRIL.
WITH THAT
AS THE FRAMEWORK FOR MY COMMENTS, I'D LIKE
TO TURN NOW TO OUR EXPERIENCES WITH UAV'S IN
OUR CURRENT OPERATIONS.
AT THE
START OF COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ, OUR
FORCES HAD INSUFFICIENT NUMBERS OF UAV'S. V
CORPS HAD ONLY A SINGLE HUNTER UAV SYSTEM -
A SINGLE LAUNCH AND RECOVERY CAPABILITY WITH
8 AIRCRAFT -- WORKING OUT OF CAMP UDARI IN
KUWAIT. IN SIMPLE TERMS, THIS CORPS,
COMMANDED BY LIEUTENANT GENERAL WALLACE, HAD
A SINGLE, CONTINUOUS EYE IN THE SKY. ON
OCCASION, THEY BENEFITTED FROM DATA PROVIDED
BY PREDATOR UAV; HOWEVER, PRIORITY FOR THAT
MORE CAPABLE SYSTEM WAS NORMALLY PROVIDED TO
A HIGHER HEADQUARTERS. OUR C-2, MAJOR
GENERAL JIM MARTZ, DID AN EXCELLENT JOB
MAKING SURE WE HAD COVERAGE FROM OTHER JOINT
SYSTEMS WHEN THE CORPS NEEDED AUGMENTATION.
FROM ITS BASE CAMP AT UDARI, HUNTER PROVIDED
COVERAGE FOR THE CORPS UNTIL FORCES REACHED
KARBALA. AT THAT POINT, V CORPS WAS FORCED
TO SPLIT AND DISPLACE HUNTER ELEMENTS
FORWARD TO KEEP PACE WITH THE GROUND FORCES
AND MAINTAIN COVERAGE. TO DO THIS, V CORPS
USED CHINOOK HELICOPTERS. ADDITIONALLY,
ENGINEER SOLDIERS WERE REQUIRED TO PREPARE
SUITABLE UAV RUNWAYS. DURING THIS TWO-DAY
MOVEMENT, CONTINUOUS HUNTER COVERAGE WAS NOT
POSSIBLE. FORTUNATELY, THIS COINCIDED WITH
THE HORRIBLE DUST STORMS THAT SEVERELY
RESTRICTED OUR MANEUVERS AND V CORPS TOOK
ADVANTAGE OF THIS PAUSE TO POSITION THE UAV
SYSTEMS FORWARD. SO AS YOU CAN TELL, UAV
EMPLOYMENT REQUIRES VERY PRECISE PLANNING TO
ENSURE THAT THE UAV BASELINE IS SUFFICIENT
TO MEET THE MANEUVER COMMANDER'S
REQUIREMENTS.
THE V CORPS
COMMANDER PROVIDED HUNTER UNDER THE
OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF DIVISIONS DURING
CRITICAL PHASES OF THE OPERATION. FOR
INSTANCE, DURING THE INITIAL ASSAULTS INTO
BAGHDAD, THE 3RD INFANTRY
DIVISION HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF CONTINUOUS
SURVEILLANCE FROM HUNTER.
TYPICAL
COMMENTS ABOUT UAV'S FROM SENIOR ARMY
COMMANDERS DURING THE WAR INCLUDE THE
FOLLOWING:
"UAV'S ARE
EXTRAORDINARILY VALUABLE ASSETS, AND DEMAND
LOTS OF TIME, ENERGY AND TRADEOFFS TO FULLY
UNDERSTAND THEIR OPTIMAL EMPLOYMENT. UAV'S
CAN BE USED FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES, BUT
NOT NORMALLY FOR ALL PURPOSES
SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE FEWER YOU HAVE THE
TOUGHER THE CALLS, AND YOU WILL NEVER GET IT
100% RIGHT. UAV'S THAT ARE WED TO AIRFIELDS
ARE VERY TOUGH FOR THE TACTICAL COMMANDER.
ONE AIRCRAFT REQUIRES SECURITY, LAUNCH AND
RECOVERY, ENGINEERS, LOG SUPPORT, ETC.THE
MORE WE CAN SHED THE OVERHEAD AND MAKE THEM
AIRFIELD INDEPENDENT THE MORE PRACTICAL THEY
WILL BE TO USE. UAV'S REQUIRE A BATTLE
RHYTHM SIMILAR TO MANNED AIRCRAFT. CREWS
NEED REST OR THEY'LL MAKE MISTAKES, AND
MISTAKES CAN DAMAGE OR DESTROY VALUABLE
ASSETS. WE NEED TO FACTOR IN THE HUMAN
DIMENSION EVEN IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
ROBOTS IN THE AIR. UAV'S ARE NOT THE
SOLUTION TO OUR INTEL SHORTFALLS, THERE ARE
MERELY ANOTHER TOOL TO GATHER INFORMATION ON
THE BATTLEFIELD."
APART FROM
THE EXPERIENCES OF THE V CORPS, ARMY SPECIAL
OPERATIONS FORCES ALSO EMPLOYED AN OLDER
SMALL UAV - THE POINTER SYSTEM, MANUFACTURED
BY AEROVIRONMENT AS WELL AS THE PIONEER.
U.S. MARINES EMPLOYED A SIMILAR SMALL UAV,
THE DRAGON EYE.
PERMIT ME A
FEW MINUTES TO DESCRIBE THE UAV SYSTEMS
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO OUR SOLDIERS IN IRAQ
AND AFGHANISTAN.
THE
SMALLEST OF THE UAV FAMILY IN USE IS THE
RAVEN WHICH, LIKE THE POINTER UAV, IS
MANUFACTURED BY AEROVIRONMENT. IT
REPRESENTS AN ACQUSITION SUCCESS STORY. IN
A LITTLE MORE THAN ONE YEAR, THE ARMY UAV
PROJECT MANAGER, IN CONCERT WITH THE RAPID
EQUIPPING FORCE AND NATICK LABS, PUT
TOGETHER A PROPOSAL FOR AN INITIAL BUY OF
FIVE SMALL FIXED WING, BATTERY POWERED UAV
SYSTEMS. AS A RESULT, THE RAVEN HAS BECOME
THE SMALL UAV OF CHOICE FOR THE U.S. AIR
FORCE AND THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND.
THE ARMY HAS THE LEAD FOR A JOINT SERVICE
SMALL UAV WORKING GROUP THAT HAS ALREADY
REALIZED BENEFITS IN PAYLOAD COMPATABILITY
AND COMMUNICATIONS. LIEUTENANT GENERAL
CODY, THE ARMY G-3, SIGNED AN URGENT WARTIME
REQUIREMENT FOR SMALL UAV'S FOR OPERATIONS
IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, TOTALLING 185
SYSTEMS AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF
PROCURING THESE. TODAY, THE RAVEN HAS BEEN
IN OPERATION FOR NEARLY SIX MONTHS. IN
TOTAL, THERE ARE TEN RAVEN SYSTEMS IN
OPERATION IN OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, OR
OEF, AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDROM, OR OIF.
THE REMAINDER - 175 SYSTEMS - ARE EXPECTED
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS CALENDAR
YEAR. THIS WILL BE A SUFFICIENT NUMBER TO
EQUIP EVERY DEPLOYED MANEUVER BATTALION.
RAVENS FLY AT ABOUT ONE HUNDRED TO THREE
HUNDRED FEET. IT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE
COMMANDERS A LOCAL OPERATIONAL AREA
OBSERVATION TOOL.
OUR
TACTICAL UAV, THE SHADOW SYSTEM - BUILT BY
AAI CORPORATION - UNDERWENT THE ARMY'S FIRST
UAV OPERATIONAL TEST IN APRIL 2002. TO
DATE, THERE HAVE BEEN 24 SHADOW MODEL 200
SYSTEMS PROCURED. FIVE OF THESE ARE IN
OPERATION IN IRAQ TODAY. THIS SYSTEM HAS
ALSO BEEN FIELDED TO STRYKER BRIGADES ONE
AND TWO. THE SHADOW SYSTEMS GENERALLY
OPERATE AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT
THOUSAND FEET AT A TYPICAL MISSION RANGE OF
ABOUT FIFTY KILOMETERS. FIELD EXPERIENCE
INDICATES THAT SHADOW OFTEN EXCEEDED THIS
CAPABILITY AND FLEW OUT TO 120 KILOMETERS.
THE SHADOW FLEW OVER 2350 HOURS IN FISCAL
YEAR 2003 AND HAS SURPASSED A TOTAL OF 4600
TOTAL HOURS IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM TO
DATE. IT ACHIEVED AN 83.3% READINESS RATE
WITH NO COMBAT LOSSES. JUST THIS WEEK, THE
SHADOW SYSTEM PASSED THE TEN THOUSAND HOUR
MILESTONE. WHILE EXPERIENCING A 1.7 PER
1000 FLIGHT HOUR ACCIDENT RATE, THE TREND IS
BEARING OUT SOLID IMPROVEMENTS DUE TO
FOCUSED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING,
MAINTENANCE AND MATERIAL RELIABILITY. THIS
IS AN EXCELLENT CAPABILITY.
THE
IMPROVED-GNAT, OR "I-GNAT," IS A DOWNSIZED
PREDATOR PROVIDED TO THE ARMY THROUGH A
CONGRESSIONAL PLUS-UP. MANUFACTURED BY
GENERAL ATOMICS, THE IGNAT WAS ORIGINALLY
GOING TO BE FLOWN SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S. AS A
MEANS FOR THE ARMY TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING
OF THIS CLASS AND CAPABILITY AIRCRAFT.
HOWEVER, OPERATIONS IN IRAQ PRE-EMPTED THIS
PLAN - ONE SYSTEM OF THREE AIRCRAFT WILL BE
DEPLOYED TO IRAQ THIS MONTH.
THE HUNTER,
A SYSTEM MANUFACTURED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN
CORPORATION, WAS A JOINT PROGRAM TERMINATED
IN 1996. FORTUNATELY, THE HUNTER REMAINED
IN THE ARMY INVENTORY. IN THE FALL OF 2001,
GENERAL KEANE DIRECTED THAT EACH ARMY CORPS
BE EQUIPPED WITH ONE HUNTER SYSTEM. TODAY,
THE U.S. ARMY HAS THREE SYSTEMS, ONE FOR
EACH OF THE ARMY'S THIRD, FIFTH, AND THE
EIGHTEENTH AIRBORNE CORPS. TWO OF THE
HUNTER SYSTEMS WERE DEPLOYED - ONE IS
CURRENTLY IN THEATER. THE HUNTER IS A
UNIQUE UAV WITH TWO ENGINES, PROVIDING A
GREATER DEGREE OF RELIABILITY. THESE
SYSTEMS ROUTINELY FLY AT AN ALTITUDE OF
EIGHT TO TWELVE THOUSAND FEET, AT A DISTANCE
OF ABOUT 125 KILOMETERS. WITH ANOTHER
PLATFORM ACTING AS A RELAY, RANGE FOR COMBAT
OPERATIONS WAS EXTENDED BEYOND 200
KILOMETERS. IN 2003, THE TWO HUNTER UNITS
CONDUCTED 4067 FLIGHT HOURS WHILE
MAINTAINING AN OVERALL SYSTEM READINESS RATE
OF 82 PERCENT WITH AN ACCIDENT RATE OF 0.93
PER 1000 FLIGHT HOURS. SEVEN HUNTER AIR
VEHICLES WERE LOST CONDUCTING COMBAT
OPERATIONS OUR DATA SHOWS THAT HUNTER AND
SHADOW SYSTEMS ARE OPERATING AT ABOUT SIX
TIMES THEIR TRAINING OPTEMPO. THIS
TRANSLATES TO ABOUT THREE HUNDRED HOURS PER
PLATOON PER MONTH INSTEAD OF THE TRAINING
OPTEMPO OF FIFTY HOURS PER MONTH. UNITS
HAVE BEEN MANNED BETWEEN NINETY AND ONE
HUNDRED-PER CENT. EVEN SO, UNITS ARE HARD
PRESSED TO MAINTAIN TWENTY-FOUR HOUR
OPERATIONS, AND THE SYSTEMS GENERALLY
OPERATE ABOUT EIGHTEEN HOURS PER DAY.
IN CURRENT
OPERATIONS, SHADOW AND HUNTER PROVIDE CONVOY
COVERAGE, ROUTE RECONNAISSANCE, BATTLE
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, PERSISTENT OVERWATCH AND
AIRFIELD SURVEILLANCE. THE SYSTEMS ARE
TIGHTLY INTEGRATED WITH AVIATION, ARTILLERY
AND GROUND MANEUVER OPERATIONS. NORMALLY
THE DIVISION COMMANDER ALLOCATES THEIR USE
DIRECTLY. THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE WHAT WE
REFER TO AS "ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE."
THESE SYSTEMS ARE ASSIGNED TO INTELLIGENCE
BATTALIONS AND OPERATED EXCLUSIVELY BY
SPECIALISTS SUPPLEMENTED WITH CONTRACTED
LOGISTICS SUPPORT.
IN ADDITION
TO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES DESCRIBED
PREVIOUSLY, COMMANDERS WERE ALSO CHALLENGED
IN FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT AND BANDWIDTH.
HUNTER AND PIONEER USED THE SAME FREQUENCIES
FOR BOTH UPLINK - WHICH PROVIDED PLATFORM
CONTROL - AND DOWNLINK - WHICH PROVIDED
VIDEO. COMMANDERS WERE FORCED TO
DE-CONFLICT THE FREQUENCIES PRIOR TO COMBAT
OPERATIONS. ALSO, AIRSPACE DE-CONFLICTION
WAS, AND IS ALWAYS, A CONSIDERATION. AS THE
NUMBER OF UAVS CONTINUE TO GROW, AIRSPACE
DECONFLICTION BECOMES INCREASINGLY
IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY FOR ARMY HELICOPTERS
- THAT ROUTINELY OPERATE IN THE SAME
ENVIRONMENT.
ALTHOUGH
OUR ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON CURRENT
OPERATIONS, WE MUST KEEP AN EYE ON THE
FUTURE. TOWARDS THAT END, A SUBSTANTIAL
AMOUNT OF WORK HAS BEEN DONE.
UAV'S WILL
BE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE ARMY'S FUTURE
SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT. AS PART OF
THAT ARCHITECTURE, THE ARMY ENVISIONS FOUR
CLASSES OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES,
STARTING WITH CLASS I AT THE PLATOON LEVEL
AND ENDING WITH CLASS IV AT THE UNIT OF
ACTION, "UA," OR BRIGADE. YOU ARE
UNDOUBTEDLY AWARE THAT THE FCS SOURCE
SELECTION PROCESS CHOSE THE "FIRESCOUT" AS
THE CLASS IV SYSTEM. THIS PARTICULAR UAV
HAS FEATURES THAT MAKES IT A GOOD COMPANION
FOR ARMY HELICOPTERS. THE ARMY IS
PARTICULARLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PLATFORM, AS
THE UNITED STATES NAVY HAS ALSO SELECTED IT
FOR USE. IT HAD BEEN THE ARMY'S INTENTION
TO POSITION THIS AIRCRAFT WITH THE COMANCHE
IN THE RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON OF THE FCS-EQUIPPED
UNIT OF ACTION. HOWEVER, AS A RESULT OF OUR
ANALYSIS IN THE AVIATION FOCUS GROUP, WE
RECOMMENDED THAT - AT LEAST FOR THE
FORESEEABLE FUTURE - AVIATION BE
CONSOLIDATED AT THE DIVISION, OR UNIT OF
EMPLOYMENT, OR "UE" LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION.
WITH THAT, AND THE DECISION TO TERMINATE THE
COMANCHE PROGRAM, THE MANNED-UNMANNED
TEAMING OF UAV'S WITH ARMY HELICOPTERS IS
NOW EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE AVIATION UNIT
OF ACTION. WE MAY ALSO USE THE FIRESCOUT
TO SATISFY CLASS III, OR BATTALION,
REQUIREMENTS. TO GAIN EFFICIENCIES THE ARMY
MAY CONSOLIDATE ALL OF THESE AT THE AVIATION
UA AND PROVIDE SUPPORT TO FCS-EQUIPPED UNITS
OF ACTION, BRIGADES OR BATTALIONS, FROM THAT
UNIT. IN THE MID-TERM, HOWEVER, UNTIL THE
TECHNOLOGIES ARE SUFFICIENTLY MATURE TO
PRODUCE THE MINIMUM CAPABILITIES REQUIRED OF
THE 1ST INCREMENT OF THE FCS, THE
ARMY INTENDS TO CONTINUE WITH THE SHADOW UAV.
IN FACT, THE ARMY INTENDS TO RESOURCE AN
ACCELERATED, LIMITED PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM FOR THE SHADOW WITH SOME OF THE
FUNDS REPROGAMMED FROM COMANCHE.
IN THE
CATEGORY OF SMALL UAV'S, THE ARMY INTENDS TO
INVEST SOME FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL SMALL UAV
SYSTEMS IN THE NEAR-TERM, THEN IN THE
MID-TERM, MOVE TOWARDS A JOINT SMALL OR
MICRO UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE - CURRENTLY IN
DEVELOPMENT BY DARPA. ALTHOUGH THE ARMY
MADE A DECISION RECENTLY TO INCREASE
QUANTITIES OF RAVEN SYSTEMS, WE CONTINUE TO
CONSIDER OTHER SOLUTIONS TO SATISFY OUR
SMALL UAV REQUIREMENT.
AT THE HIGH
END, FOR USE BY OUR DIVISIONS OR CORPS
FORMATIONS, THE ARMY WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST
IN THE HUNTER PROGRAM AND, SIMULTANEOUSLY,
MOVE TOWARDS AN EXTENDED RANGE /
MULTI-PURPOSE, OR "ER/MP" SOLUTION IN THE
MID-TO-FAR TERM. COMANCHE REPOGRAMMING
PROVIDES SOME FUNDING FOR BOTH OF THESE
INITIATIVES.
WHILE
REQUIRED FUTURE CAPABILITIES ARE UNIQUE FOR
EACH CLASS OF UAV, THEY SHARE SOME COMMON
FEATURES. THE ARMY IS JUSTIFYABLY PROUD OF
COMPLETING THE JOINT INTEROPERABILITY
CERTIFICATION OF ITS UAV GROUND CONTROL
STATION. WE INTEND TO USE THIS GROUND
CONTROL STATION AS THE BASIS FOR THE SHADOW,
HUNTER, I-GNAT, AND EXTENDED RANGE /
MULTI-PURPOSE UAV SYSTEMS. THIS ENABLES
COMMONALITY IN TRAINING, LOGISTICS,
COMMUNICATIONS, SOFTWARE AND OPERATIONS FOR
THESE SYSTEMS. UAV'S OF THE FUTURE WILL
SHARE A COMMON DATA LINK TO FACILITATE
INTEROPERABILITY, OFFER GREATER DEGREES OF
RELIABILITY AND SIMPLICITY OF MAINTENANCE
AND TRAINING NOT FOUND IN SYSTEMS OF TODAY.
THE ARMY ALSO INTENDS TO MOVE TO HEAVY FUEL
ENGINES WHERE POSSIBLE TO HAVE ONE STANDARD
FUEL ON THE BATTLEFIELD. UAV SYSTEMS THAT
DIRECTLY OPERATE OR SUPPORT THE FCS UNITS OF
ACTION (UA) MUST BE EASILY DEPLOYED AND HAVE
AN ABILITY TO LAUNCH AND RECOVER FROM FIELD
LOCATIONS. THEIR NETWORK ARCHITECTURE MUST
FACILITATE PLUG-AND-PLAY CONFIGURATIONS FOR
THE MISSION EQUIPMENT PACKAGES, OR "MEP'S."
THE MEPS THEMSELVES MUST BE SMALLER AND
LIGHTER TO KEEP THE AIR PLATFORMS SMALL AND
MORE SURVIVABLE. OF COURSE, THEY MUST BE
AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES TO MANNED
PLATFORMS. THESE REQUIREMENTS REPRESENT A
TALL ORDER - HIGH EXPECTATIONS - MOST OF
WHICH ARE BEYOND CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES.
TWO OF THE
MORE EXCITING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
PROJECTS THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN
DEVELOPING ARE THAT OF THE A-160 HUMMINGBIRD
AND THE UNMANNED COMBAT ARMED ROTORCRAFT, OR
"UCAR." WHILE THE ARMY HAS NOT SETTLED ON A
SPECIFIC SYSTEM, LIKE THE ER/MP OR FIRE
SCOUT, THESE TWO S&T PROJECTS OFFER MANY OF
THE CAPABILITIES REQUIRED OF UAVS IN THE
FUTURE FORCE.
WHILE WE
BELIEVE THAT AERIAL INTELLIGENCE,
SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE, OR "ISR"
WILL CONTINUE AS A CORE MISSION OF UAV'S,
THE ANALYSIS OF THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED ARMY
CAPABILTIES REVIEW FOR UAV'S SUGGESTS TWO
OTHER CORE MISSIONS: AERIAL ARMED ATTACK
AND COMMUNICATIONS RELAY. IN THE CORE
MISSION AREA OF ISR, WE BELIEVE UAV'S WILL
CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A CRITICAL SOURCE OF
INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF IMAGERY AND
SIGNAL INTELLIGENCE FOR BOTH ARMY AND JOINT
NEEDS. ADDITIONALLY, UAV'S WILL ALSO
PROVIDE AIRBORNE STANDOFF MINE DETECTION OR
CHANGE DETECTION, AS WELL AS DETECTION OF
CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL OR RADIOLOGICAL
HAZARDS, AND RAPID MEDICAL RESUPPLY. IT WAS
ONLY COMMON SENSE TO SHIFT THESE REQUIRED
CAPABILITIES TO UNMANNED PLATFORMS AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE.
IN THE ISR
AREA, THE ARMY BELIEVES UAVS MUST HAVE A
HIGH DEGREE OF TARGETTING PRECISION
ACCURACY, MADE POSSIBLE WITH A VARIETY OF
SENSOR PACKAGES -- THE ARMY HAS ALREADY
FUNDED THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TO
ACHIEVE A TEN METER TARGET LOCATION ERROR
LEVEL OF ACCURACY ON THE SHADOW SYSTEM. FOR
THIS MISSION AREA, UAVS MAY LOITER FOR
EXTENDED PERIODS, EXECUTING WHAT WE REFER TO
AS "PERSISTENT STARE." IN DOING SO, WE
INTEND TO KEEP CRITICAL AREAS OF INTEREST
UNDER CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE. THE
ADVANTAGES OF POSSESSING THIS CAPABILITY,
WHETHER IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN OR, FOR THAT
MATTER, ALONG OUR BORDERS OR PORTS, WITHIN
THE LIMITS OF OUR AUTHORITIES. MAY ALSO HAVE
IMPLICATIONS FOR CIVILIAN AUTHORITIES FOR
HOMELAND DEFENSE AND SECURITY.
IN THE CORE
MISSION AREA OF AERIAL ARMED ATTACK, THE
ARMY INTENDS TO DEVELOP THIS CAPABILITY
THROUGH BOTH MANNED AND UNMANNED TEAMING
WITH OTHER AVIATION SYSTEMS - AS THE ARMY
BELIEVES IT IS IMPERATIVE TO KEEP THE "MAN
IN THE LOOP" - OR, ALTERNATIVELY, THROUGH
SELF-LAUNCHED MUNITIONS ENGAGEMENT FOR THOSE
OCCASIONS WHERE A STRATEGICALLY OR
OPERATIONALLY-IMPORTANT TARGET OF
OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF. THE ARMY HAS
ALREADY DEMONSTRATED AN ARMED UAV CAPABILITY
WITH THE LAUNCH OF A BRILLIANT ANTI-TANK, OR
"BAT," MUNITION FROM A HUNTER PLATFORM,
REFERED TO AS A "VIPER STRIKE" -- THE ARMY
G-3 RECENTLY APPROVED IT'S OPERATIONAL NEEDS
STATEMENT. THE ARMY WILL LEVERAGE THIS
EXPERIENCE AND CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS
WEAPONIZATION CAPABILITY NOT ONLY FOR THE
HUNTER, BUT ALSO FOR THE ER/MP UAV.
IN ADDITION
TO PROVIDING FUNDS FOR THE SHADOW AND HUNTER
PROGRAMS AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, THE ARMY
ALSO INTENDS TO DEVELOP A LEVEL-4 UAV
CONTROL AS PART OF THE NEXT GENERATION
LONGBOW APACHE, WHICH WE REFER TO AS
"LONGBOW BLOCK III." IN FACT, FOR THE LAST
TWO YEARS THE ARMY HAS EXPERIMENTED WITH
THIS CAPABILITY BETWEEN UAV'S AND LONGBOW
APACHES IN THE FORM OF AN ADVANCED CONCEPT
TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION - A JOINT PROGRAM
KNOWN AS THE HUNTER STANDOFF KILLER TEAM, OR
"HSKT," THAT WE SHARE WITH THE NAVY. THE
BLOCK THREE PROGRAM WAS PRESENTED YESTERDAY
(16 MARCH) TO AN ARMY REQUIREMENTS OVERSIGHT
COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION.
FOR
SELF-LAUNCH, UAV'S MUST POSSESS ACCEPTABLE
TARGET LOCATION ACCURACY AND A LEVEL OF
SOPHISTICATION NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN
SMALL OR TACTICAL UAV'S. SIMILARLY, THE
ARMY IS EXCITED ABOUT DEVELOPING A MINE
DETECTION OR CHANGE DETECTION CAPABILITY TO
FOIL TERRORISTS ABILITY TO EMPLOY IED'S, OR
"IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES" AGAINST OUR
SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS.
LASTLY,
UAV'S ARE THE LOGICAL CHOICE TO PROVIDE A
COMMUNICATIONS RELAY PACKAGE, OR "CRP" WHEN
REQUIRED. THE ARMY IS EXPLORING OPTIONS IN
CRP PACKAGING AND PLATFORMS. AS A SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE, THE ARMY IS
CONSIDERING SUCH OPTIONS AS HIGH ALTITUDE
AIRSHIPS OR "HAA'S" THAT WOULD LOITER AT
HIGH ALTITUDES FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME
- SUFFICIENTLY LARGE ENOUGH TO CARRY HEAVIER
CRP'S ALOFT. THESE WOULD PROVIDE THE
FOUNDATION OF A ROBUST NETWORK CAPABILITY,
REINFORCED WITH CRP'S CARRIED IN SMALLER
UAV'S TO BROADCAST DATA WITHIN THEATER
AREAS. WE BELIEVE THIS CAPABILITY IS
ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO GAIN AND SHARE THE
COMMON RELEVANT OPERATING PICTURE NECESSARY
TO FIGHT AND WIN IN THE FUTURE ENVIRONMENT.
OBVIOUSLY,
THESE CAPABILITIES ARE NOT CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE TO US. THE CHALLENGES OF
DEVELOPING THEM ARE AHEAD OF US, BUT I
WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU A GLIMPSE OF WHAT
CAPABILITIES THE ARMY ENVISIONS FOR THESE
UNMANNED SYSTEMS.
TO
FACILITATE THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR
AVIATION FORCES AND ENABLE DEVELOPMENT OF
THESE FUTURE CAPABILITIES AND CONCEPTS, THE
ARMY RECENTLY MADE SEVERAL DECISIONS ABOUT
OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND PROPOPENCIES. I AM
CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE AWARE THAT ACQUISITION
OF ALL ARMY UAV SYSTEMS HAS BEEN CENTRALIZED
AT HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA WITHIN THE AVIATION
PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE. YOU MAY ALSO BE
AWARE THAT THE ARMY HAS MOVED DOCTRINAL
PROPONENCY OF UAV'S FROM OUR INTELLIGENCE
CENTER AT FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA TO THE
ARMY'S AVIATION CENTER AT FORT RUCKER,
ALABAMA. SIMILARLY, THE DEPARTMENT INTENDS
TO MOVE UAV MANAGEMENT - FOR PLATFORM
INTEGRATION - TO OUR AVIATION SECTION THAT
CURRENTLY MANAGES ALL BUT A VERY SMALL PART
OF THE ARMY'S ROTARY AND FIXED WING
AIRCRAFT. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE
INTELLIGENCE CENTER WILL NO LONGER PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN INTELLIGENCE DOCTRINE
DEVELOPMENT OR UAV TRAINING OF INTEL UAV
SPECIALISTS. MANAGEMENT OF SPECIALIZED
PAYLOADS, OR MISSION EQUIPMENT PACKAGES,
WILL REMAIN WHERE THEY ARE TODAY.
HOWEVER,
THE ORGANIZATION ADJUSTMENTS WE ARE MAKING
REPRESENT THE ARMY'S BELIEF THAT UAV'S AND
THEIR MISSIONS BEST COMPLEMENT THOSE OF
MANNED PLATFORMS IN ARMY AVIATION. TO THE
ARMY, THERE IS A NATURAL AFFINITY FOR THESE
TWO CLASSES OF AERIAL SYSTEMS AND OUR
EXPECTATIONS FOR DIVIDENDS WE INTEND TO
REALIZE FROM THE SYNERGIES ARE GREAT.
HAVING SAID
THAT, WHILE WE'VE MADE CONSIDERABLE GAINS IN
THE RECENT PAST IN THE AREA OF UAV
DEVELOPMENT AND IN DEFINING THE PATH WE WILL
TAKE, WE ARE CERTAINLY A LONG WAY FROM
SOLVING ALL OF OUR CHALLENGES, AND WE ARE
NOT MOVING FORWARD IN A VACUUM. WE CONTINUE
TO SOLICIT INDUSTRY AND WORK WITH OUR SISTER
SERVICES IN BOTH FORMAL - SUCH AS THE ARMY /
MARINE CORPS BOARD AND THE JOINT
CAPABILITIES INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT
SYSTEM AND INFORMAL SETTINGS -- FOR THE BEST
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
IN CLOSING,
OUR COMMON GOAL IS TO PROVIDE THE BEST
POSSIBLE CAPABILITY FOR OUR SOLDIERS IN
HARMS WAY. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL AGREE WITH
ME THAT THESE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN DESERVE
NOTHING LESS. IN MANY WAYS, UAV'S ARE STILL
IN THEIR INFANCY IN DEVELOPMENT. THESE
SYSTEMS REPRESENT TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL AND
ALMOST LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES FOR THE
FUTURE. FEEDBACK FROM ALL ECHELONS OF
COMMAND - PLATOONS TO COMBAT COMMANDERS -
TELLS US THAT UAV'S ARE HERE TO STAY.
OUR GOAL
IS TO INVEST IN THESE SYSTEMS AND QUICKLY
DEVELOP THEIR POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN
MILITARY MATTERS TO SECURE, AND THEN
MAINTAIN, THIS AS A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE FOR
OUR ARMED FORCES. ON THEIR BEHALF, I
SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST AND
INVOLVEMENT IN THIS AREA. THANK YOU FOR
ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU
IN THIS FORUM AND WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE
YOUR RESOLUTE SUPPORT TO OUR GREATEST
ASSETS, AMERICANS SONS AND DAUGHTERS - OUR
SOLDIERS.
I WOULD BE
HAPPY NOW TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY
HAVE.
