On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 18:11:30 -0500, "Kevin Brooks"
wrote:


"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
.. .


OK, I misunderstood your initial post. When you said "direct control
of the men on the ground" I assumed you were suggesting an organic UAV
capability in the maneuver element. What you explain now, is simply a
full-blown tactical system with everything but the pilot-in-the-loop.
At some future time, data processing may make that practical, but
right now the wetware is still the most size/weight effective
solution.

Actually, the ground forces are well on their way to having UAV's as an
organic element, even down to the platoon level. The USMC has already
initiated production of the small Dragoneye, which is essentially about a
two man load--the operator uses a laptop to control the aircraft and observe
the intel feed (and no, it is unlikely to be any kind of weapons carrier).
The Army has established a squadron/battalion sized ISR element to serve in
its new Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, and I believe the plan is to have them
operate their own small UAV's in the not-too-distant future.

No doubt about it. It will be a great immediate intel resource, but it
doesn't fill the bill as a CAS platform--who is going to be
back-packing a meaningful ordinance load for these model airplanes?


I don't think I was screeching. I agree that there is a bright future
for UAVs with increasing missions. But, I don't go so far as to accept
the sensationalized concept of video game whiz-kids snapped off the
back streets of the inner city to do the job. If you check out the
operators of the current crop of UAVs, you'll find a lot of active and
former fighter types. The hands and the mind still function pretty
well long after the body quits tolerating the high-G environment.

The objective right now for the ground forces is to get useful UAV's into
operation at the lowest possible echelons. From what I have seen regarding
Dragoneye, it is a pretty simple system to operate. I would imagine the
Army's new focus on rotary UAV's will also emphasize ease of operation (I
doubt the Army wants to commit rated pilots to flying its UAV's as the USAF
has been doing); trying to attach additional qualified pilots to each and
every meneuver brigade/battalion, etc., to operate their organic UAV's would
impinge upon the pool of pilots available to fly the manned aircraft in the
AVN BDE's.

Once again, you are correct with regard to the "eye in the sky"
operation--it doesn't take a lot of training (witness the number of
week-end RC model flyers around the country), but we've been talking
about CAS from organic UAVs. That is going to take a bit more skill
and judgement.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8