Inching closer to the centennial year of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in 2018, several countries have already launched programmes for futuristic platforms. It is time India seriously implements current as well as future in-house programmes.

While President Barack Obama has agreed to increase the strength of US troop deployment in Afghanistan, what may have gone unnoticed is the manifold increase in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The US Air Force (USAF) is using a wide variety of such platforms in Afghanistan for combat-support as well as remote delivery of Precision Guided Missiles and other weapons, over unsuspecting targets. As regards this big ‘surge’, nearly 400,000 flight hours have been logged by a variety of medium-to-large American unmanned platforms during 2009, which is more than double the figure of 2006- 07. Additionally, US Department of Defense has observed that the number of Drones has grown from 300 in 2002 to nearly 7,000 within seven years, leading to a significant increase in the amount of US surveillance coverage in the region.

In terms of reach and lethality, their prowess is such that the proposed supply of 12 UAVs to Pakistan has rightly raised concern in Delhi. Although US officials maintain that these will not be armed, Pakistan is known to operate clandestinely and may modify the platforms with the help of other international partners. After all, Pakistan already has many ongoing UAV development projects with China, Turkey and South Africa.

Next Generation Beckons

Inching closer to the centennial year of the UAV in 2018, a number of countries have already launched programmes for futuristic platforms. With no risk of loss of life, varied types of technologies are being incorporated both, for the size and shapes, as well as for the payloads. The US Air Force has initiated a programme to develop the Next Generation Unmanned Aerial System (NG-UAS). In May 2009, the US Air Force has sent a proposal to the industry, which seeks a follow-on UAV to the highly successful MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft, latter a much improved variant of the Q-1 series. These UAVs, with the prefix ‘M’ indicating multi-mission, have proved invaluable in combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The NG-UAS platform is planned to have capabilities beyond existing UAVs. The next generation of UAVs would be designed to provide covert capability, carry more munitions, and operate at faster repositioning speeds to improve flexibility and survivability. Compared to the MQ-1 Predator which first flew in 1994 and the derivative MQ-9 Reaper which flew in 2001, the new vehicle would have improved manoeuvrability and time on station among other features. The planned initial operational capability of the NG-UAS would be 2015. General Atomics has already developed a candidate for the NG-UAS role now known as Predator-C. This UAV is believed to have swept-back wings and stealth characteristics. Other firms, notably Northrop Grumman, which produces the highly successful RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV as well as several other firms are expected to enter the competition for the NG-UAVs.

With all-weather and triple-redundant avionics, 70 hours of long duration, UAVs, such as the Israeli ‘Eitan’, holds great promise. Eitan is also capable of carrying large payloads of 2,000 lbs. Solar powered UAVs are also making progress, which will allow long duration stealth flights at high altitudes. While many of the Western countries are also developing modern UAVs, surprisingly Russia has been a somewhat late entrant in this field. However, they have also launched an ambitious programme of tactical UAVs.

The Script in India

The Indian Air Force (IAF) inducted UAV, in 2000. Searcher II and Heron UAV have distinguished themselves over the past few years by delivering electro optical/infrared (EO/IR), EW and now Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) intelligence, without exposing human pilots to risk. Within a short span of their induction, the IAF has been able to exploit ground and airborne relays to extend the operating ranges and also use them in different terrains including the Himalayan heights. The preparations during Op Parakram have given IAF the expertise in reducing the ‘sensors to shooter’ cycle. On the other hand, deployment in different parts of the country has enabled the IAF to acquire additional infrastructure, which will help in exploiting UAVs in different roles, including disaster management and internal security. Incidentally, Israel-made UAVs are also being used in Afghanistan by the French, Canadian and British forces. Germans and Australians are also in the process of inducting these in their sectors of operations.

Soon after induction into the IAF, the Indian Army and Indian Navy also bought similar platforms enabling commonality in training, sharing of infrastructure and maintenance which is to be accorded by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). However, approaching only one vendor for the entire requirement risks certain pitfalls. The vendor has used the Indian experience for initiating some of the upgrades which have been incremental, resulting in continuous investment in cost, down-time and retraining of the crew. While the newer payloads are also useful in Electromagnetic Intelligence and Communications Intelligence roles, there is an urgent need to arm the UAVs with Hellfire type of missiles. Use of satellite communication links are also required to provide wider footprints and redundancy against spoofing.

Most UAV manufacturers are developing payloads and synergetic support systems for non-military applications, including counter-terrorism operations, disaster management, border and urban surveillance, ground and sea traffic monitoring, crop diagnosis, ground mapping to name a few. With micro and nanotechnologies developing rapidly their applications in both military and civil UAV are also being worked upon. The Indian Coast Guard and the Coastal Police could also use UAVs for monitoring the threats emanating from the sea as was the case in 26/11 in Mumbai. Of course, the UAVs must be in conjunction with other surveillance systems, such as satellites, aerostats and the manned aircraft.