ARMY WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT

Army, Oct 2006

The Shadow system consists of four air vehicles (AV) with day/night payloads, two ground control stations (GCS) with ground data terminals (GDT), one portable ground control station (PGCS) with portable ground data terminal (PGDT), two tactical automated landing systems, launcher, air vehicle transport (AVT), and additional ground support equipment and vehicles for personnel transport. The TUAV platoon consists of 22 personnel with the ability to sustain flight operations on a 24-hour basis. The AV takes off from a launcher and lands autonomously in an area slightly longer than a soccer field. Annotated imagery can be transmitted near real time to support the commander's missions. The system is transported in three Humvees with shelters, one AVT, two troop-carrying Humvees, and three trailers, and can be deployed in three C-130s. A contractor logistics support team, transported in a mobile maintenance facility within a sheltered Humvee and trailer, supports the system.

The Raven Small UAV System is another example of rapid acquisition in support of OIF and OEF forces. In just 20 weeks from funding, the first of these battery-operated, four-and-one-half pound UAVs was deployed to forces in Afghanistan. Each combat battalion in OIF and OEF will have small UAV systems.

The Raven system consists of three aircraft, one ground control station, batteries and three sets of sensors: high-resolution day camera, high-resolution night imager and a side-view thermal imager. The aircraft are hand-launched and use autoland recovery The system is transported in two suitcase-size carrying cases. The system provides company- and platoon-level reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and battle damage assessment.

The Improved-Gnat (I-Gnat) is a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems product the Army procured in 2003. The Army I-Gnat system consists of three modified IGnat aerial vehicles (AVs), one modified IGnat shelter, two portable ground data terminals (PGDTs) and associated ground support equipment. The system can provide up to 25 hours of operations, carry up to 450 pounds of payload, has a service ceiling of 25,000 feet mean sea level and is controlled by a C-band data link. The Army I-Gnat was deployed to OIF just 10 months after contract award. This system augments the Hunter systems in OIF.

The Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAV will replace and improve upon the Hunter. The Army Aviation Transformation Plan calls for fielding the first ER/MP system in 2008.

The Army will use a rapid and disciplined acquisition process, including a competitive fly-off, to determine a bestvalue solution for this capability. ER/MP will be a mainstay of the division/corps commander's battle-set for land warfare operations.

The ER/MP system will consist of a sufficient number of air vehicles and modular mission payloads/mission equipment packages (MMPs/MEPs) to support the required operational tempo. The AV will accommodate a minimum mission payload capacity of 200 pounds and be capable of simultaneously carrying and controlling two different types of mission payloads/mission equipment packages. Currently, there are three threshold payloads (interchangeable), including an electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) with laser range finder/designator, a synthetic aperture radar/moving target indicator (SAR/MTI) and a heavy communications relay payload. First unit equipped is scheduled for FY 2009.