Editorial CommEnt
Unique challenges in
integrating unmanned
vehicles
Artist’s concept showing an X-47B long-range UAV on the flight deck
of an aircraft carrier. The US Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System
Carrier Demonstration programme is designed to demonstrate the
capability of an autonomous, low-observable unmanned aircraft to
perform carrier launches and recoveries (Photo: Northrop Grumman).
A
s highlighted elsewhere in this issue reconnaissance and observation role in US rotorcraft. Long-endurance UAVs are classi-
of Warship Technology, the concept Navy operations off the Lebanon and Iraq in fied as Low Altitude Long Endurance (LALE),
of using unmanned aerial vehicles 1991, when fixed-wing Pioneer UAVs were Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE)
(UAVs) from surface ships is becoming catapulted from the decks of battleships and or High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE),
more and more common. UAVs have a wide recovered via a net barrier. with altitude increments of 0-20,000ft,
range of potential uses but their integration “The key concepts in these early uses of 20,000-50,000ft and 50,000ft and above. Long
into a platform requires careful planning and UAVs are that the air vehicles were small, -endurance UAVs can have a size and mass
consideration. Where the naval architect used primarily for observation and launched equal to manned tactical fighters.
becomes involved in the resurgence of the from vessels with minimal modification – Long-endurance, slow-speed observation
UAV concept is in launch and recovery usually consisting of removable upperdeck UAVs are usually relatively conventional in
systems, and in the arrangements made catapults and nets,” they noted. configuration, with high aspect ratio straight
onboard a surface ship to house, maintain The current resurgence of interest in UAVs wings and propeller propulsion for increased
and control UAVs, and the best arrange- has seen similar development work, with the endurance and reduced acoustic signature.
ments for doing do, with minimal impact on small fixed-wing Scan Eagle UAV launched For very high altitude jets are used. This basic
other systems onboard whilst maximizing from Royal Navy Type 23 frigates and rotary- configurational style is used on machines
the potential for using UAVs. wing UAVs operated from a range of warships from the smallest (Scan Eagle, 18kg, 3m
As Richard Pawling and Professor David from frigates to landing craft. However, such wing span), to largest (Global Hawk, 14.7te,
Andrews of University College London told are the number of UAV programmes and so 40m wingspan). Proposed strike UCAVs
a recent RINA warship conference, since many and various are the potential applica- have generally been of similar size to modern
their use for reconnaissance in Vietnam tions of the UAVs – and their differences in manned fighter aircraft (X-47B, 21te, 18.9m
and as spotters for battleship fire support in size and other requirements for support on wingspan), with an emphasis on stealth,
operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, board – that some new thinking is required, taking advantage of the lack of a cockpit to
a wide range of concepts, uses and configu- if the new-generation air vehicles really are employ different airframe configurations.
rations have been proposed and investigated to take their place at sea alongside combat Current US UCAV programmes have seen
for naval UAVs. Operational experience, aircraft and naval helicopters. an increase in the size of the air vehicles due
however, has centred on small vehicles being The primary current warship procure- to increasing requirements for flexibility,
operated within the ship’s existing aviation ment programme with a significant focus range and the resultant systems complexity.
facilities, provided to support larger manned on the impact of unmanned vehicles is the Considering the future naval use of UCAVs,
(usually rotary-wing) aircraft. The wide US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). That a study conducted by Pawling and Andrews
variety in UAV and Unmanned Combat vessel, however, has a focus on unmanned found that the range of possible configura-
Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) types suggests that surface and sub-surface vessels, with the tions and sizes is very wide, although the
new ship configurations, or new applica- UAV complement consisting of the rotary- range of roles for which UAVs and UCAVs
tions of existing configurations, could be wing Fire Scout, derived from a manned will be used will be narrower, initially, than
developed to enhance the use of unmanned helicopter. manned aircraft.
aircraft at sea. The modern range of UAV and UCAV “Considering the ship designs themselves,
As Pawling and Andrews noted at the RINA designs can best be appreciated by consid- the study has indicated that it appears practi-
conference, the first naval use of unmanned ering the classification systems used to cal to accommodate a useful UCAV-based
aircraft was possibly the Royal Navy’s use describe them, noted Pawling and Andrews. capability on vessels smaller than aircraft
of drones for gunnery practice shortly after ‘Micro’ and ‘Mini’ UAVs are frequently carriers. Both monohulls and multihulls have
the First World War. The next notable naval hand-launched and short ranged (2km) with been found to have advantages and disadvan-
UAV development was the Gyrodyne QH-50 wingspans less than 0.5m. ‘Tactical’ UAVs tages as UCAV carriers, with the choice of
DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter). can have ranges between 20km-200km and hull topology being closely related to the
UAVs returned to naval operations in a are usually launched by small catapults, or are UCAV design,” they concluded. WT
Warship Technology March 2010 5
WT_Mar-2010_p5.indd 5 24/02/2010 11:27:58
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