UAVS in action

Model Airplane News, Mar 2002 by Pace, Steve

During the Vietnam War and then in the Persian Gulf War in 1990 and '91, and later. in Kosovo, relatively primitive and mostly unknown Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were used to gather information and observe enemy positions to provide data that would be analyzed when they were returned to base. Some of today's UAVs, however, can gather and transmit intelligence in real time via computer links to the ground. These include the new generations of unmanned flying machines that can prowl a battleground and give commanders real-time intelligence without risking a human pilot's life.

Most of these vehicles fall into the UAV category, Those that carry weapons are known as Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs). Combined with recent advances in imaging and Global Positioning System (GPS) navigational equipment, UAVs are used as target spotters, near- and real-time aerial reconnaissance craft and even as weapons systems for combat operations. UAVs and UCAVs are either self-piloted (autonomous) or remotely piloted by someone on the ground and can carry any number of payloads, Combat loads can include GPS satellite-guided bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (IDAM), Air Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM) and air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and rockets, Intelligence loads can include electronic surveillance gear and photographic reconnaissance equipment. A number of UAV aircraft, including the RQ-1 Predator, RQ-2 Pioneer and RQ-5 Hunter, are fully operational. Numerous other UAV aircraft have already taken flight in prototype form or are about to do so.

Simply stated, UAVs and UCAVs can do practically anything that manned aircraft can do, but they do it far less expensively and, most important, without endangering pilots' lives.

Manufactured primarily of light, strong carbon-fiber-composite materials, fiberglass and high-strength plastics, the Predator can be quickly disassembled into six main components and loaded into a special shipping container nicknamed "The Coffin" for rapid deployment world-- wide. The Predators based at the 11th RS, however, remain fully assembled and are treated and operated as full-size aircraft. Each has its own maintenance crew and crew chief, and they operate out of an auxiliary field called Indian Springs, which is about an hour north of Nellis AFB. Since they aren't permitted to fly in commercial airspace, they take off from Indian Springs and fly directly into the Nevada Test and Training Range owned by Nellis. The 11th RS was the first UAV squadron in the USAF and acquired the Predators in 1996.

GROUND CONTROL

Not just a UAV, the Predator is part of a complete system and is controlled by a ground control system (GCS). Either a C-band (line of sight) or a Ku-band (over the horizon) satellite data link is used to operate a Predator. Inside the GCS is a control console with two operator seats; the left seat is the default pilot station, and the right is for the sensor operator. The pilot uses a joystick, keyboard, rudder pedals and the main display to fly the Predator and to see what the UAV sees. The sensor operator controls the surveillance cameras to acquire mission information. Another GCS control station is set up for a communications and data manager who uploads flight-plan and computer-menu data.

PILOTING TIE PREDATOR

Regardless of an individual's rank, the main requirement for becoming a Predator pilot is an Instrument (IFR) flight rating. The IFR rating can be from military or civilian pilot training. The Predator is operated like a full-size aircraft: the pilot must file an IFR flight plan and inspect the aircraft before takeoff. First, the pilot goes to where the UAV is tied down and checks it to make sure it is ready for flight. Then, at the GCS, the pilot inputs flight data, such as the UAV's tail number and its mission weight. The crew chief then starts the engine, the pilot checks the data and control links, and the radios and antennas and all backup systems are checked for proper operation. If everything checks out, the pilot is given clearance to taxi, and he uses the forwardlooking nose camera to maneuver the Predator to the runway and take off. The pilot then flies the Predator according to its IRF flight plan to the designated mission coordinates.

Like anything computer-controlled, the Predator's control system might experience a glitch or become locked up. To allow for this possibility, the GCS's pilot and sensor operator control stations can be electronically switched during flight. This allows the pilot to use the other station to fly and control the UAV while the problem at his original station is being repaired. Everything about the Predator has a backup system.

Like today's NASCAR Formula 1 racecars, the Predator's downlink telemetry provides information to the GCS on many onboard systems. From engine rpm, oil pressure and temperature to exhaust manifold temperature, radio operation and how well the UAV is reacting to control inputs, an endless stream of data is fed back to the ground. Each item can be pulled up on a computer screen and the information recorded and analyzed.