Since the battlefield will have a plethora of weapons to engage the intrepid pilot, a commander would prefer the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which will allow him to use it in harm’s way, and accept its loss, without the attendant pain

The battlefield of the future is likely to see conflicts ranging from limited wars to what is known as “Operations other than Wars.” Air forces will play a key role as the guardian of the skies as also in support of ground forces in these conflicts. Developments in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have reached a stage where the Commander prefers to use UAVs than manned aircraft.

Does this mean that the manned fighter aircraft has no role to play over the battlefield? It would be in the fitness of things to examine this issue dispassionately—to describe the employment and developments of UAVs, consider its survivability vis-à-vis the manned fighter, the impact on organisational structures, and its cost-effectiveness.

Employment & Development

UAVs were initially known as drones, then as remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs). These appeared initially as aerial torpedoes, but saw actual combat in World War II, as the V-I “Buzz” bomb, by the Germans. After the Great War, there was a pause, as these were used mainly as aerial targets for air defence artillery. The RPVs now reappeared over the Vietnamese skies, as a savior for the US Air Force (USAF), when the Fighter Recce aircraft was facing heavy attrition in the face of enemy air defence artillery. The Ryan Fire bee Target towing Drone was converted to a Recce RPV platform and in the bargain, saved many pilot’s lives. UAVs were used in the Bekaa Valley conflict where the Israelis used them for recce, carrying out spoof raids and in electronic warfare (EW) tasks, resulting in one of the most adverse loss ratios for the Syrians of 82:1.

The US has been in the forefront of UAV development and these systems saw action over Bosnia, as also during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan, where their effectiveness as a surveillance and recce platform has been astounding.

On the effectiveness of the UAV, Admiral William A. Owens, Vice Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a visit to NATO HQ, observed: “I was looking at the Predator (Imagery Display) yesterday...it had been flying over an area at 25,000 ft for hours on end. It focused on to a building in a city and I could clearly see the outlines and structure of the building, then it expanded to show one window in the building and not only could I see it clearly but also the GPS coordinates, which could be transmitted to a pair of F-16s flying nearby, and allow the pilot to drop his precision weapon through the window—I’d buy a lot of UAVs in the future!”

What is a UAV?

It is a powered aerial vehicle that carries no human operator, uses aerodynamic forces for lift, flies autonomously or is piloted remotely, is either expendable or recoverable and carries both lethal and non-lethal payloads. Ballistic, semi-ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and artillery projectiles are not considered as UAVs.

What makes the UAV so very effective? It is small in size, is powered by an efficient and small engine, micro electronics and finally, the introduction of composites have resulted in an aerial vehicle that is lighter, stealthier and can operate non-stop for tens of hours over an area. The absence of the pilot, the canopy, ejection systems, life support systems, and so on, allow the designer to tailor ‘g’ loading as a function of airframe structural integrity, than the pilot’s ‘g’ limitation.

Ability to loiter for extended periods permits UAVs a near permanent presence over an enemy, providing a continuous stream of intelligence, while simultaneously delivering a lethal payload in seconds. These give an operational commander reliable means of recce in an environment where space-based or high altitude recce aircraft are rendered ineffective due to weather conditions. Moreover, these can perform missions in circumstances where political sensitivities or combat risks preclude the introduction of manned aircraft.

The Manned Aircraft

The very same technological marvels have equally impacted manned aircraft operations. These are stealthy, carry a heavier load, are faster and can operate at greater distances by day or night. Manned aircraft, by virtue of their speed and flexibility of operations, have a quick response time. These possess integral self-defence and are capable of multiple roles by day and night.

However, aircrew training and currency are difficult, expensive (despite simulators) and time consuming. But, as discussed earlier, where the risk to the manned fighter would preclude its use, the UAV would offer the best alternative to the battle commander.