US Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

US Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2014-06 þÿU.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) a historical perspective to identifying and understanding stakeholder relationships Lowe, Donald R. Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/42678 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA JOINT APPLIED PROJECT U.S. ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS)—A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS By: Donald R. Lowe, Holly B. Story, and Matthew B. Parsons June 2014 Advisor: Richard B. Doyle Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED June 2014 Joint Applied Project 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS U.S. ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS)—A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS 6. AUTHOR(S) Donald R. Lowe, Holly B. Story, Matthew B. Parsons 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. IRB protocol number ____N/A____. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) This research is intended to advance understanding of relationships between unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) stakeholders and programs to allow the Army to increase efficiencies and reduce costs. It was found that the Army had never completed a formal UAS stakeholder identification and analysis. Internal and external stakeholders are identified here and fall within categories of Army executive program leadership (e.g., Program Executive Office for Aviation), Army and service components (active, Guard, reserve forces), senior Army leadership (e.g., Headquarters, Department of Army), other federal and non-federal government entities (e.g., Congress), commercial interests (e.g., industry and academia), and other interested parties, such as the American people. An analysis of relationships affecting these stakeholders was conducted, including organizational beliefs and cultures, management of resources, policies and law and future UAS enhancements planned by the Army and industry partners. The most important problems found were inter-service and inter-branch disputes that shape UAS policies and procedures, forecasting for future UAS growth while managing costs and finding more efficient, less redundant ways to use current UAS capabilities, and safe integration into the national airspace system. This stakeholder analysis allows the Army to leverage the support of others for funding, resources, intellectual property, lessons learned and cooperation. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Army unmanned aircraft system, stakeholder, funding, National Airspace 15. NUMBER OF System PAGES 133 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited U.S. ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS)—A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS Donald R. Lowe, Civilian, Department of the Navy Holly B. Story, Civilian, Department of the Army Matthew B. Parsons, Civilian, Department of the Army Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PROGRAM MANAGEMENT From the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL June 2014 Authors: Donald R. Lowe Holly B. Story Matthew B. Parsons Approved by: Richard B. Doyle William R. Gates, Dean Graduate School of Business and Public Policy iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv U.S. ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS)—A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO IDENTIFYING AND UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS ABSTRACT This research is intended to advance understanding of relationships between unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) stakeholders and programs to allow the Army to increase efficiencies and reduce costs. It was found that the Army had never completed a formal UAS stakeholder identification and analysis. Internal and external stakeholders are identified here and fall within categories of Army executive program leadership (e.g., Program Executive Office for Aviation), Army and service components (active, Guard, reserve forces), senior Army leadership (e.g., Headquarters, Department of Army), other federal and non-federal government entities (e.g., Congress), commercial interests (e.g., industry and academia), and other interested parties, such as the American people. An analysis of relationships affecting these stakeholders was conducted, including organizational beliefs and cultures, management of resources, policies and law and future UAS enhancements planned by the Army and industry partners. The most important problems found were inter-service and inter-branch disputes that shape UAS policies and procedures, forecasting for future UAS growth while managing costs and finding more efficient, less redundant ways to use current UAS capabilities, and safe integration into the national airspace system. This stakeholder analysis allows the Army to leverage the support of others for funding, resources, intellectual property, lessons learned and cooperation. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF U.S. ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS .....................................................................................................................1 A. HISTORY .........................................................................................................1 1. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: 1840–1930 .............................................1 2. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Targets: 1930–1950 ...............................2 3. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Targets: 1950–1970 ...............................4 4. Unmanned Aerial Targets: 1970–Present ..........................................6 5. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: 1960–2003 .............................................6 B. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF MODERN DAY ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT ............................................................................11 1. Corps Level .........................................................................................12 2. Division Level .....................................................................................13 3. Brigade Level ......................................................................................15 4. Battalion Level and Below.................................................................16 5. Common Systems Integration ...........................................................17 C. OPERATIONAL USAGE OF ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYTEMS .........................................................................................................19 1. Movement and Maneuver .................................................................19 2. Intelligence ..........................................................................................19 3. Fires .....................................................................................................20 4. Protection ............................................................................................20 5. Sustainment ........................................................................................20 6. Command and Control ......................................................................20 D. SUMMARY ....................................................................................................21 II. U.S. ARMY UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS STAKEHOLDERS ............23 A. STAKEHOLDER DEFINITION .................................................................24 B. STAKEHOLDER IMPORTANCE ..............................................................24 C. STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS .....................................................................25 1. Step 1: Identification of Key Stakeholders ......................................26 a. TIER 1: Program Executive and Management .....................31 b. TIER 2: U.S. Army, National Guard and Other U.S. Forces ......................................................................................33
Recommended publications
  • Repüléstudományi Közlemények
    Matyas Palik, Máté Nagy BRIEF HISTORY OF UAV DEVELOPMENT DOI: 10.32560/rk.2019.1.13 In this article, the authors present the technical development of the drones from the beginning to the present. The reader will get to know the most important periods and events of the drone's military application. At the end of the article, the authors summarize the four main purposes of military use of drones. Keywords: Flying Bomb, Pilotless Target Aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, drone INTRODUCTION The human’s desire to fly high in the sky emerged as early as its common sense. However, it took a long time to make this dream real. A large number of scientists had worked on this topic and it had demanded so many brave people’s life, until finally men could ascend from the ground. By that, people’s enthusiasm towards the aviation led to success. At first they con- quered the air by balloons, later by airships, and finally with airplanes. Meanwhile, the idea to use a machine that can fly without a person on board has always been in the researchers mind. This idea is not surprising at all, because such a system’s advantages are obvious. We don’t have to count with the death of the on-board personnel, if the aircraft is destroyed for some reason. In addition, we can use them for such boring tasks, like aerial re- connaissance. Finally, their financial advantage is unquestionable, due to the fact, that in gen- eral a UAV’s1 price is lower than the price of a conventional aircraft.
    [Show full text]
  • CRUISE MISSILE THREAT Volume 2: Emerging Cruise Missile Threat
    By Systems Assessment Group NDIA Strike, Land Attack and Air Defense Committee August 1999 FEASIBILITY OF THIRD WORLD ADVANCED BALLISTIC AND CRUISE MISSILE THREAT Volume 2: Emerging Cruise Missile Threat The Systems Assessment Group of the National Defense Industrial Association ( NDIA) Strike, Land Attack and Air Defense Committee performed this study as a continuing examination of feasible Third World missile threats. Volume 1 provided an assessment of the feasibility of the long range ballistic missile threats (released by NDIA in October 1998). Volume 2 uses aerospace industry judgments and experience to assess Third World cruise missile acquisition and development that is “emerging” as a real capability now. The analyses performed by industry under the broad title of “Feasibility of Third World Advanced Ballistic & Cruise Missile Threat” incorporate information only from unclassified sources. Commercial GPS navigation instruments, compact avionics, flight programming software, and powerful, light-weight jet propulsion systems provide the tools needed for a Third World country to upgrade short-range anti-ship cruise missiles or to produce new land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs) today. This study focuses on the question of feasibility of likely production methods rather than relying on traditional intelligence based primarily upon observed data. Published evidence of technology and weapons exports bears witness to the failure of international agreements to curtail cruise missile proliferation. The study recognizes the role LACMs developed by Third World countries will play in conjunction with other new weapons, for regional force projection. LACMs are an “emerging” threat with immediate and dire implications for U.S. freedom of action in many regions .
    [Show full text]
  • Dissertation / Doctoral Thesis
    DISSERTATION / DOCTORAL THESIS Titel der Dissertation / Title of the Doctoral Thesis „Robotic Wars – Legitimatorische Grundlagen und Gren- zen des Einsatzes von Military Unmanned Systems in modernen Konfliktszenarien.“ verfasst von / submitted by Mag. (FH) Dr. Markus Reisner angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Wien, 2017 / Vienna 2017 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 794 242 degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Dissertationsgebiet lt. Studienblatt / Interdisciplinary Legal Studies field of study as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Ao. Univ.-Prof. DDr. Christian Stadler „… von allen hier aufgestellten Behauptungen gilt: Sie sind niedergeschrieben, damit sie nicht wahr werden. Denn nicht wahr werden können sie alleine dann, wenn wir ihre hohe Wahrscheinlichkeit pausenlos im Auge behalten, und dement- sprechend handeln. Es gibt nichts Entsetzlicheres als recht zu behalten.“ Günter Anders (1902-1992) Österreichischer Philosoph in seinem Werk „Die Zerstörung unserer Zukunft“ Inhalt: 1. Einleitung......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Fragestellung und Hypothese .................................................................. 6 1.2 Angewandte Methode und verfügbare Quellen..................................... 12 2. Drone Killing – Robotic Systems in der modernen Kriegführung ............ 19 2.1 Klassifikationen von Robotic
    [Show full text]
  • Desind Finding
    NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE ARCHIVES Herbert Stephen Desind Collection Accession No. 1997-0014 NASM 9A00657 National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC Brian D. Nicklas © Smithsonian Institution, 2003 NASM Archives Desind Collection 1997-0014 Herbert Stephen Desind Collection 109 Cubic Feet, 305 Boxes Biographical Note Herbert Stephen Desind was a Washington, DC area native born on January 15, 1945, raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and educated at the University of Maryland. He obtained his BA degree in Communications at Maryland in 1967, and began working in the local public schools as a science teacher. At the time of his death, in October 1992, he was a high school teacher and a freelance writer/lecturer on spaceflight. Desind also was an avid model rocketeer, specializing in using the Estes Cineroc, a model rocket with an 8mm movie camera mounted in the nose. To many members of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), he was known as “Mr. Cineroc.” His extensive requests worldwide for information and photographs of rocketry programs even led to a visit from FBI agents who asked him about the nature of his activities. Mr. Desind used the collection to support his writings in NAR publications, and his building scale model rockets for NAR competitions. Desind also used the material in the classroom, and in promoting model rocket clubs to foster an interest in spaceflight among his students. Desind entered the NASA Teacher in Space program in 1985, but it is not clear how far along his submission rose in the selection process. He was not a semi-finalist, although he had a strong application.
    [Show full text]
  • Designing Unmanned Aircraft Systems: a Comprehensive Approach
    Designing Unmanned Aircraft Systems: A Comprehensive Approach Jay Gundlach Aurora Flight Sciences Manassas, Virginia AIAA EDUCATION SERIES Joseph A. Schetz, Editor-in-Chief Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Virginia 20191-4344 NOMENCLATURE Item Definition A area; availability; ground area covered in a mission; radar antenna area, m2; conversion between radians and minutes of arc Aa achieved availability Abound bounded area for a closed section 2 Ad IR detector sensitive area, m 2 Aeff effective antenna area, length Ai inherent availability AO operational availability; UA availability 2 Ap propeller disk area, length ARate area coverage rate Ar effective collection area of optical receiver ASurf surface area AR aspect ratio ARWet wetted aspect ratio AR0 aspect ratio along spanwise path a UA acceleration; maximum fuselage cross-section width; speed of sound; detector characteristic dimension awa radar mainlobe width metric awr radar mainlobe width metric ax acceleration along the x direction (acceleration) B acuity gain due to binoculars; boom area; effective noise bandwidth of receiving process, Hz 21 BDoppler Doppler bandwidth (time ) BN effective noise bandwidth of the receiving process 21 BT radar signal bandwidth (time ) BSFCSL brake specific fuel consumption at sea level b web length; wing span; maximum fuselage cross- section height bw wing span b0 span without dihedral C cost of contractor
    [Show full text]
  • Air University Review: September-October 1973, Volume
    AIR U N I V E R S IT V PROFESSIONAl JOURNAlrcificw Of THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE T H E T he Threat, F oreicn Policy, and Cost Control: P.ARAMETERS FOR F o RCE P l ANNINC................................................................................................... 2 Col. Edward Stellini, USAF Keyn o t e of the 1970s: Joint Ven t c r es lnto Spa c e ................................................................16 Phillip O. Davis William G. Holder Air Force Review Swords, P lowsh.ares, .and Procress....................................................................................... 3 0 Lt. Gen. Kenneth W. Schultz, USAF D rone Remo t el y Pil o t e d Veh icl es and Aer ospac e Power...............................................44 Lt. Col. E. J. Kellerstrass, USAF SuPERSONIC D e LIVERY OF CoNVENTIONAL W ea PONS—F a CT OR F a NCY?.................................. 55 Charles S. Epstein Ner ve Cen t er for Spa c e Defen se...................................................................................................... 66 Maj. Sainuel C. Beainer, USAF In My Opinion T he Unit Co mma n der and the Bureaucracy............................................................... 63 Lt. Col. Arthur C. Mussman, USAF T he Nixo n Doctrine—a New Era in Foreign Policy? ...............................................89 Maj. H. A. Staley, USAF Books and Ideas W here There’s P.ain Theres Hope: M il it a r y Pr o fessio n a l ism in the Dock .......................................................................................................93
    [Show full text]
  • Ground Fatality Probability Model Sensitivity Analysis
    Appendix A Ground Fatality Probability Model Sensitivity Analysis That is what we meant by science. That both question and answer are tied up with uncertainty, and that they are painful. But that there is no way around them. And that you hide nothing; instead, everything is brought out into the open. Peter Høeg (Borderliners, 1995) A.1 Background In Sect. 5.1.5, the following model was proposed to calculate the probability of fatality given a ground impact: | 1 P(fatality exposure)= 1 (A.1) β p 1 + α 4 s β Eimp In this Section a sensitivity analysis will be carried out to evaluate the effect of perturbations of the model inputs and parameters. Typically such an analysis assumes that model inputs and parameters are random variables. It is then possible to determine the joint distribution of these random variables and consequently the distribution of the model as a function of the characteristics of the random variables. Alternatively each parameter and input can be evaluated separately, considering the rest known. Assuming a function g(x) of a random variable x with a distribution function f (x), then its expected value of g(x) is given by [2]: +∞ E [g(x)] = g(x) f (x)dx (A.2) −∞ Using the expectation of g(x), it is possible to calculate the bias as: Bias[g(x)] = g(µ) − E [g(x)] (A.3) where µ is the true value of x, and the variance from: Var[g(x)] = E g2(x) − E [g(x)]2 (A.4) Nevertheless, the functional form of the model makes an analytical derivation of its expected value difficult, regardless of the assumed probability distribution functions for the parameters and input and whether they are considered separately or together.
    [Show full text]
  • Collision Avoidance and Navigation of UAS Using Vision-Based Proportional Navigation
    Dissertations and Theses 3-2017 Collision Avoidance and Navigation of UAS Using Vision-Based Proportional Navigation Matthew J. Clark Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/edt Part of the Aerospace Engineering Commons Scholarly Commons Citation Clark, Matthew J., "Collision Avoidance and Navigation of UAS Using Vision-Based Proportional Navigation" (2017). Dissertations and Theses. 323. https://commons.erau.edu/edt/323 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COLLISION AVOIDANCE AND NAVIGATION OF UAS USING VISION-BASED PROPORTIONAL NAVIGATION A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University by Matthew J. Clark In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering March 2017 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach, Florida ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work could not have been completed without the inspiration and guidance from Dr. Richard Prazenica. I am grateful for all his efforts in directing me through any obstacles encountered while allowing me to follow my own path (pun intended). I would also like to thank Dr. Hever Moncayo and Dr. Troy Henderson for their support as my advisory committee. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Heidi Steinhauer and the entire Engineering Fundamentals Department. It has been an absolute pleasure to work as a Graduate Teaching Assistant alongside a group I consider family. I would not have been able to complete this work without the emotional support of my family and friends.
    [Show full text]
  • Aerospace Propulsion
    Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Propulsion by Sean Brown A PROJECT submitted to Oregon State University University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Honors Associate) Presented February 27th, 2015 Commencement June 2015 2 4 ©Copyright by Sean Brown February 27th, 2015 All Rights Reserved 5 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Propulsion by Sean Brown A PROJECT submitted to Oregon State University University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Honors Associate) Presented February 27th, 2015 Commencement June 2015 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. 8 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 12 2 Propulsion Systems ................................................................................................................ 12 2.1 Piston-Propeller.............................................................................................................. 12 2.2 Gas turbine ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Turbojets ................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.2 Turboprops
    [Show full text]
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Uninhabited Combat Aerial Vehicles
    Defense Science Board Study on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Uninhabited Combat Aerial Vehicles February 2004 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense For Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Washington, D.C. 20301-3140 This report is a product of the Defense Science Board (DSB). The DSB is a Federal Advisory Committee established to provide independent advice to the Secretary of Defense. Statements, opinions, conclusions and recommendations in this report do not necessarily represent the official position of the Department of Defense. This report is UNCLASSIFIED. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 3140 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-3140 DEFENSE SCIENCE BOARD MEMORANDUM FOR THE ACTING UNDERSECRETARYOF DEFENSE (ACQillSmON, TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS) SUBJEcr: Reportof the DefenseScience Board Task Force on UnmannedAerial Vehicles and UninhabitedCombat Aerial Vehicles I am pleasedto forward the final report of the DSB Task Force on UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UA V) and UninhabitedCombat Aerial Vehicles (UCA V). This Task Force was tasked to evaluatethe current statusof the UA Vs and UCA Vs and provide recommendationson how to betterintegrate UA Vs and UCA Vs into the force structure. The Task Force concludedit is time for the Departmentof Defenseand the Services move forward and makeUA Vs and UCA Vs an integral part of the force structure,not an "additional asset". To do so requiresappropriate planning, appropriate budgeting, and continuedmanagement attention from the Departmentof Defenseand Serviceleadership. The Task Force's findings and recommendationsfall into eight subjectareas: Introduction of UA Vs into the force structure VA V unit productioncosts UA V mishaprates Communicationsconstraints UA V interoperability and mission management Integrationof UA Vs into national airspace Focustechnology investments Reductionof UA V combatvulnerability I endorseall of the recommendationsof the Task Force and proposethat you review the Task Force Co-Chainnen's letter and the report.
    [Show full text]
  • Drone Flight and Failure: the United States’ Secret Trials, Experiments and Operations in Unmanning, 1936-1973
    Drone Flight and Failure: the United States’ Secret Trials, Experiments and Operations in Unmanning, 1936-1973 By Katherine Fehr Chandler A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric and the Designated Emphasis in New Media in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge: Professor David Bates, Co-Chair Professor Charis Thompson, Co-Chair Professor Samera Esmeir Professor Jake Kosek Spring 2014 Drone Flight and Failure: the United States’ Secret Trials, Experiments and Operations in Unmanning, 1936-1973 ©2014 by Katherine Fehr Chandler Abstract Drone Flight and Failure: the United States’ Secret Trials, Experiments and Operations in Unmanning, 1936-1973 by Katherine Fehr Chandler Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric and the Designated Emphasis in New Media University of California, Berkeley Professor David Bates, Co-Chair Professor Charis Thompson, Co-Chair I examine the precursors to contemporary unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) to ask what is at stake in the designation “unmanned?” The apparent misnomer dissociates technologies and humans, occluding how international interventions, including surveillance, military support, signals intelligence, and targeted killing, are carried out through actions networked between humans and nonhumans. I use a genealogical approach to address how tensions and contradictions articulated by unmanning emerge, using the development, operation and failure of unmanned systems to complicate divisions between human and nonhuman; “us” and the enemy; immersion and distance; military and industry; and above and below. I identify two phases in the development of remote controlled and unmanned aircraft in the United States: targeting and reconnaissance.
    [Show full text]
  • Canada Aviation and Space Museum Aircraft
    CANADA AVIATION AND SPACE MUSEUM AIRCRAFT RYAN KDA-4 FIREBEE DRONE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE SERIAL KD-4788 INTRODUCTION The Ryan Firebee began as a series of target drones (now more commonly referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) 1 developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company (later Teledyne Ryan), beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and, eventually, one of the most successful and widely used target drones ever built. Generally referred to as the Firebee I, the initial versions possessed high subsonic speed, and were primarily intended for use in ground-to-air and air-to-air gunnery training. Later versions were developed into reconnaissance vehicles, as well as into attack and multi-mission platforms. More than 7,000 Firebee vehicles were built, with many variants being introduced. A Ryan publicity photo illustrating the first customers for the Ryan Firebee: the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the United States Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. - (Ryan Aeronautical Company Photo) The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) became one of the first customers for the Firebee intending the target drone to be used in particular for the planned weapons testing and training on the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow fighter program. The Firebee has the distinction of being the first UAV in the RCAF. Cover Photo Caption - The Ryan Firebee was launched from a modified Lancaster bomber in RCAF service. - (RCAF Photo) 1 / 22 ______________________________________________________________________ FIREBEE DESIGN HISTORY 2 Q-2 / KDA-1 Firebee The Firebee was the result of a 1946 United States Army Air Force (USAAF) request for a jet-powered gunnery target.
    [Show full text]