Two New UAVs (robot planes)

We've dealt with UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or remote-control aircraft) a couple of times here on Winds of Change.

In "Robot Planes, Human Soldiers," we discussed what it would take for surveillance UAVs to become truly useful to soldiers in battle, as opposed to flying robot nannies. Gunner20's real-life story about a lieutenant who received a medal and a reprimand for the same firefight really drove that point home. My recent piece on Israel's rethinking of its military priorities took that point one step further, noting that robot vehicles had a significant role to play in their plans as well... if they could be meshed with the needs of soldiers on the ground.

Recently, a couple of bulletins revealed some interesting developments.

(1) Sentry Owl. Defense News reports that the U.S. Air Force has rushed into production a new 10-pound unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to help its security forces protect front-line bases.

Developed by Lockheed Martin's famous Skunk Works, the Sentry Owl Force Protection Airborne Surveillance System will be deployed some time this summer at a few critical locations. The battery-powered aircraft can apparently fly at altitudes of a few hundred feet for more than an hour. That will help protect fixed bases on a "pop up and look around" basis, especially if one is dealing with potential Stinger missile threats to an airfield and needs to survey the surroundings quickly.

That wasn't why Sentry Owl grabbed my attention, though.

Instead, what went through my mind was the thought that Sentry Owl is a big step toward a UAV that can be carried and used by an infantry squad in urban warfare. As I've said earlier, the technology is coming. The question is one of doctrine and fast incorporation into military training. If protecting bases is just a quick way of getting Sentry Owl into the field, great. If that comes to define and limit its mission, however, the technology will have been wasted.

I'll say it again: it's about imagination, flexibility, and the human element - not the technology.

(2) The Boeing X-45. Unlike the Predators, which are surveillance platforms with weapons bolted on, this is an unmanned combat plane. Designed to "hunt in packs," the X-45 will carry up to 3,000 pounds of guided bombs to dump on enemy radar and surface-to-air missile batteries when it is deployed in combat.

That's very useful for operations aimed at blowing holes in enemy air defenses. It also holds a lot of promise for the Army's "Objective Force" plans, which mirrors some things the Marines are doing with their Expeditionary Units. The Marines have their own aircraft for integrated air support, but the Army doesn't... unless the UAVs can be developed under their umbrella. Get the picture?

We'll talk about "Objective Force" some more over the next couple of days.

So, the X-35 recently made a successful maiden flight. That said, it isn't going to "stand up" and go into service any time soon. "It looks like these things have a lot of promise and we are relatively bullish on them for a lot of applications, but there are a lot of bugs with them, as there are with all vehicles, and the way you work them out is by flying them," analyst Glenn Buchan told The Associated Press. (Thanks to the San Jose Mercury's "Good Morning Silicon Valley" for the link.)