Unmanned Aircraft Systems Increase Integration through Simulation and Platform Modernization

摘要

On 22 August 2019, the Army's Shadow unmanned aircraft system (UAS) celebrated its 20-year anniversary. In 2018, UAS community transitioned from governance under AR 95-23 to operating under AR 95-1, further aligning the UAS mission, training, weight and balance, and other operational considerations with Aviation. Although the shift in proponent responsibilities is a significant development to unite the UAS with the Aviation community, incorporating UAS into ground and air operations needs continued attention to fully realize UAS intelligence collection and direct fire capabilities. For example, TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1, The U.S. Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028, calls out a specific requirement to integrate UAS with the Aviation mission, acknowledging that integration gaps still exist to fully utilize UAS into scheme of maneuver. Feedback from combat training center rotations and unit feedback further confirm these gaps and the opportunities to incorporate UAS to improve the commander's ability to understand the battlespace and mission command. These shortcomings in UAS integration at the tactical level of warfighting indicate that commanders can improve their effectiveness in large scale combat operations by further integrating UAS in training opportunities prior to combat. The UAS community has made significant progress to further integrate its capabilities through improved simulation capabilities, electro-optical sensors and communication systems.