Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Requirements and the Joint UAV Program

摘要

The purpose of this thesis is to determine if the Department of Defense jointunmanned aerial vehicle program will satisfy the UAV needs of the Army to conduct tactical intelligence collection. First, UAV requirements, as defined by both the Army and DoD are identified. Next, the Army requirements are tested for validity within the framework of the Army's capstone war-fighting doctrine, AirLand Battle, and supporting doctrine for the conduct of intelligence operations. Third, the operational characteristics specified by the Army are compared with the same criterias as defined by the Army for the equivalent joint UAV system. The final step is identification of differences in the two programs and determining the impact on future Army UAV operations. The study concludes that the Army has clearly defined its requirements for UAV operations. These requirements are valid and fully support the Army's warfighting doctrine. While the research finds significant differences exist between the Army and joint programs, these differences do not impact on the essential needs of the Army. The joint UAV program supports the UAV needs of the Army. After a slow start, the joint UAV program is proceeding rapidly. Barring funding constraints, the Army, and the other services, will soon possess an operational short-range (out to 150 km) UAV system capable of performing tactical intelligence collection. Keywords: Army aircraft operations; Joint military activities; Military doctrine requirements; Aerial reconnaissance theses; Mission profiles. (edc)