Aerial Targets and RPA

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Aerial Targets and RPAs Way Ahead41st Annual
NDIA Targets, UAVs Range Operations
MGen Donald Hoffman ACC/DR
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Overview

• Aerial Targets
• FSAT (Full-scale Aerial Targets)
• SSAT (Sub-scale Aerial Targets)
• Combat Utility
• RPAs (Remotely Piloted Aircraft)
• MQ-1
• MQ-9
• RQ-4
• RPA Concerns
• Test Ranges Infrastructure Challenges

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Mission Statement
Define, advocate and direct themodernization and
sustainment of combat weapon systems to ensure
dominant aerospace capability
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• Aerial Targets

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Aerial Targets

• Required by Congress, Title 10
• AF allocates Kill Authorizations annually to
  weapons programs allowing live-fire testing to
  be accomplished with drone support
• Not all Authorizations result in destroyed
  drones (Kills approx 60)
• Number of Kills doubled by FY02 due to
  improvements in weapon system lethality and OSD
  direction to take tests to end-game
• Provides realistic test environment
• Signature, countermeasures

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FSAT
Where Are We Now

• Purpose Air-to-Air Ground-to-Air testing
• Why FSAT
• Issues of realism -- current technology unable
  to fully replicate via modeling and simulation
• Provides
• Realistic IR, RCS, countermeasures etc.
• Large payload for test / jamming equipment
• Provides High Fidelity parametric data

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FSAT
Where Are We Now (Contd)

• USAF QF-4 C / E / G
• 231 planned delivery 1997 - 2011
• Approx 40 in inventory any given time
• Authorized kills FY03
• 60 Requested
• 38 Approved (only 13 new QF-4s acquired)
• Replacement rate
• FY04 17 per / yr
• FY05 FY06 22 per / yr
• FY07 24 per / yr
• FY08 23 per / yr
• FY09 FY10 20 per / yr

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FSAT
Where We Are Heading

• Air Superiority Target (AST)
• Follow-on target for the QF-4
• Required Assets Available (RAA) Date 2012
• Requirements
• Replicate capabilities of 4th / 5th Generation
  Fighter
• Highly Maneuverable
• Supersonic
• Lower Signature
• Capable of carrying a mix of payloads
• Studies underway to support FY06 POM

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SSAT
Where Are We Now

• Purpose Air-to-Air Ground-to-Air testing
• MQM-107 (Raytheon)
• Payload 100lbs internal / 300lbs external
• Speed approx. 200 - 500kts
• Length 18 x 910 wingspan
• BQM-34 (Teledyne Ryan)
• Payload 380lbs internal / 1200lbs external
• Speed .9 MACH
• Length 2210 x 1210 wingspan
• Provides
• Signature
• Towed Decoys, EA Pods
• Countermeasures (chaff and flares)
• Approx 60 SSAT in inventory at a time
• Both replaced by 2008

BQM-34
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SSAT
Where We Are Heading

• BQM-167 (Composite Engineering)
• Payload Payload 100lbs internal / 300lbs
  external
• Speed .9 MACH
• Length 20 x 11 wingspan
• 2006 - IOC
• Combines missions of BQM-34 and MQM-107
• Provides
• Maneuverability
• Payload
• Mission duration

BQM-167
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Targets
Roles In Combat Ops

• Supported OIF
• Original concept - Vietnam
• Certain advantages over current UAV capabilities
• Payloads in to the 1000lb range
• Increased speed
• Lower unit cost
• Unresolved issues
• Requirement
• CONOPS
• Funding
• Limited Assets

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• RPAs

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Remotely Piloted Aircraft
Where Are We Now

• Current employment
• Intel, surveillance reconnaissance
• Target destruction limited weapons

IR Imagery Altitude 51,000 Ft Slant Range 12.2 nm
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RPA Timeline
NOW
Electronic Attack
X-45 (J-UCAS)
2010
Hunter Killer
MQ-9 (Predator B)
Planned 2007
ISR
RQ-4A (Global Hawk)
2002
Multi-role
MQ-1 (Predator)
2003
ISR
1996
RQ-1 (Predator)
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MQ-1 / MQ-9 / RQ-4 Force Structure

• Build and maintain MQ-1 objective force structure
• MQ-9 Test and then decide on FRP
• RQ-4 Continued spiral development / sensor
  upgrades

70
60
50
MQ-1
40
MQ-9
30
RQ-4
20
10
0
FY04
FY05
FY07
FY09
FY06
FY08
FY03
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MQ-1 Predator

• Remote operated turboprop aircraft
• 90 KIAS
• 25,000 ft
• 24 hour duration (clean)
• 200lb external payload with 2 Hard Pts
• 450lb internal payload
• Weapons AGM-114 Hellfire
• Payloads/Sensors Electro-optical (EO),
  Infrared(IR), and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

• ACC CONOPS includes multi-role mission with
  weapons
• Supporting OEF/OIF in GWOT
• Fleet wide upgrade to carry AGM-114
• ACC received Blk 10s Nov 03
• Hellfire, fuel injected engine,
• Multi-spectral Targeting System
• Block 20 GCS production ongoing

• Growing to two combat squadrons
• Transition from RQ-1 to MQ-1
• Continuously exploring What ifs

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MQ-9 Predator B

• Remotely operated single engine turboprop
  aircraft
• 275 KIAS
• 50,000 ft (clean)
• 24 hour duration (clean)
• 3,000lb external payload with 6
  hardpoints
• 750lb internal payload
• Weapons GBU-38, GBU-12, CBUs
• Payloads/Sensors EO/IR, SAR MTI

• Continue testing future production decision
• Manpower required
• FY05 APOM initiative for manpower (606
  authorizations)
• MILCON funding
• MQ-9 MILCON starts in FY09

• Two prototype aircraft built
• Three more being developed for test program

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RQ-4 Global Hawk

• Remotely operated single engine turboprop
  aircraft
• 340 KIAS
• 60,000 ft (clean)
• 20 hour duration (clean)
• 2,000lb payload
• Payloads/Sensors EO, IR, and SAR

• Supported OEF/OIF in GWOT
• First two at Beale AFB, CA Mar 04

• Continued upgrade of sensor suites
• SIGINT, MPRTIP

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RPA Capability Gaps
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RPA Concerns

• Communications
• Cost
• Security
• Exploitation Requirements
• TPED (manpower / bandwidth requirements)
• Manning
• Additive to current force structure
• Potential for skill consolidation
• Automated TPED processing reduce manning

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RPA Communications Costs

• Predator
• Commercial Ku-band SATCOM for BLOS
• Aircraft C2 (200 kbps) imagery downlink (3.2
  mbps)
• Approx 500-900K / orbit / year
• Terrestrial Circuits
• Aircraft C2 imagery, dissemination
• Approx 1.45M / orbit / year

• Global Hawk
• Commercial Ku-band SATCOM for BLOS
• Aircraft C2 (200 kbps) imagery downlink (48
  mbps)
• 3-6M / Ku Transponder / year
• Terrestrial Circuits
• Imagery dissemination (uses DCGS WAN)

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Datalink Protection

• Predator datalinks currently not secure
• Interim solution -- FY04 / 05 install of a
  commercial (non-NSA) Triple Data Encryption
  Standard (T-DES)
• NSA-compliant secure datalink solution underway
• Development, integration, testing during FY04/05
• Initial fielding during FY05/06
• Global Hawk datalinks are encrypted
• Commercial SATCOM is unprotected
• Susceptible to jamming, denial of service
• Planned migration to MILSATCOM Ka-band for
  Predator Global Hawk BLOS (FY08 timeframe)

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TPED - PredatorC2, Sensor and Dissemination
AOR
CONUS
Missions
3.2Mbs
3.2Mbs
3.2Mbs
10 Mbps
3.2Mbs
3.2Mbs
3.2Mbs
Network
13Mbs
GCS
Leased Satellite
3.2Mbs
Regional Satellite Node (RSN)
3.2Mbs
Launch and Recovery Elemt
3.2Mbs
10 Mbps
3.2Mbs
13Mbs
DGS-1, 2
OC-3
LRE ControlSensor Data/Control Reports products
10 Mbps
OC-3
Network
10 Mbps
10 Mbps
Tech Control
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• Test and Range

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Test RangeInfrastructure Challenges

• Unable to conduct end-to-end testing within
  range confines
• Safety -- Weapons Footprint (i.e. Directed
  Energy / SDB)
• Physical range limitations
• Freq Spectrum
• Two way Data Links
• Testing / Safety Destruct
• Availability and security
• Test vs. Training PODs
• Increased commonality PODs, encryption, data
  transmission, etc.
• Reduction of platform unique PODs
• ACC / DOR goal two PODs for future testing and
  training

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Test RangeInfrastructure Challenges (cont)

• Bandwidth and transmission growth rates
• F-15 - 1MB vs. F/A-22 - 2MB vs. F-35 - 6MB
• IO Challenge
• Stealth

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Summary

• We need test assets and infrastructure to
  develop, evaluate and train our modern weapon
  systems
• RPAs are a growth industry

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Backup Slides
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Current State

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Long Range Forecast
QF-4 Inventory vs Kills
80

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
FY97
FY98
FY99
FY00
FY01
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
FY06
FY07
FY08
Inventory
Kill Authorizations
Kills