The Advantages and Disadvantages of Manned and Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The previous years of the beginning World War I, the military technology produced an enormous firepower that made the 20th century’s western armies capable to set up advantageous positions, and during the course of the war, tanks, artillery and infantry weapons, aircraft, battleship, and gas were decisive solutions. For example, Knox and Murray state that in 1917 air force was a very important power in both Britain and Germany, which provided them not only the reconnaissance to reconnoiter enemy positions but also artillery observation to support the bombing missions by enhancing its attack and coordinating ground-air operations. Due to today’s progress in technologies since World War I has acquainted with, military is able to conduct fight by using advanced technologies in the uncertain and complex environment whether in defensive or offensive positions that enhance the speed and quality of combat, as well as the basic combat value of an individual warrior. In today’s warfare, similarly World War I, military forces use last advanced weaponries and unmanned aircrafts to provide air operations in terms of intelligence and reconnaissance and to continue their combat role by attacking high-value targets. For instance, in today’s conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq the unmanned aerial vehicles play the same

The first issue concerning UAVs deals with the inability for an opponent to surrender under the attack of a UAV strike. Additionally, I will discuss the possible increased inclination to start war

Since the beginning of aviation, aircraft have been used for other intentions besides carrying passengers and cargo. They have been used as weapons of war dating all the way back to the first world war, and the use of aircraft has enlightened the advancement of the aviation. “Throughout the history of aviation, the greatest progress in flight has been made during time when either war or the threat of war was present” (Millspaugh, et al., 2008, p. 33). However, the war we face today has been triggered by the deliberate use of aircraft to cause death, destruction, and mayhem.

However, the most promising technologic development is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that maintain the safety of our human sources while obtaining remote insights imperative to the overall safety of our nation.

Currently the majority of the UAVs operated by the United States are military assets, and as such are subject to policies, requirements and regulations of the military. These safety requirements will be briefly discussed. As unmanned systems are integrated into national airspace they will be operated in increasing numbers by civil operators, for this reason we will also look at civil safety requirements. UAS will also present some unique situations which have up to this point not been experienced; this will require new areas to be incorporated into the aviation industrial safety arena to ensure our current level of safety is not degraded through their inclusion. This paper will investigate aviation industrial safety as it applies specifically to

World War II was the first time that Americans really called for a more advanced, safer way to fight war in the air. During this war more than 40,000 planes and over 80,000 soldiers were lost (Shaw). This statistic alarmed many Americans, who then discovered it would be cheaper and safer to go towards an unmanned type of air force (Shaw). In 1946 the United States created a special branch of the military, which specialized in the research of pilotless aircrafts, and they ended up creating a few versions (Shaw).

Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) continue to face significant challenges synchronizing air and ground operations through the execution of a Unit Airspace Plan (UAP). A well-developed UAP increases combat effectiveness by promoting the safe, efficient, and flexible use of airspace with minimum restraint upon airspace users. This paper does not propose a plan to solve all the challenges BCTs face. The intent is to share lessons learned from 2/25 IBCT’s Air Defense Air Management/ Brigade Aviation Element (ADAM/BAE) cell during our recent Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) rotation. Focus is placed on the development and implementation of the UAP. The major challenges discussed are clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of those involved with UAP development, the integration of both small and tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and how to best manage a synchronized UAP.

1. The purpose of this paper is to represent the position on why the United States Air Force (USAF) should bring Warrant Officers (WO) back into service to fly unmanned aircraft. First, a positive of having WOs would be to quickly fill the current manning shortage in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) community because more Airmen would qualify only needing a two year degrees. However, the current solution is to push more cadets through Officer Training School (OTS) to fly RPAs. This will fix the manning shortage over time while also fitting the current USAF structure. On the other hand, another positive of WOs flying RPAs in the USAF would be saving money. After an overview, one has to understand the current demographics of the USAF.

Although the potential contribution of UAVs to sectors such as environmental protection, law enforcement and various commercial activities is apparent, they still seem not to be ready for civilian use. This is due to several reasons, including e.g. civilian UAVs (CUAVs) requiring different technological solutions such as optimized platforms, different endurance requirements, dedicated payloads and different ground control systems. An additional important problem to be solved is the integration of UAVs in the civilian airspace, which will require the adoption of civilian airworthiness standards and proven safety features. Last but not least trust has to be created, both at the public sectors and the commercial community, that CUAVs have economic advantages ( Vanclay 2003)

military personnel, comparatively little financial expenses, and a minimum of civilian casualties. It is effective in the fight against international terrorism as it puts terrorist groups on defense. It forces these groups into hiding by targeting their safe havens. With the killing of key figures, the internal structure of these terrorist groups is attacked which not only shatters their sense of predominance in the region, but also compels them to find new ways of communicating and

Military aircraft have become extremely technologically advanced and task specific throughout the history of air warfare. As soon as aircraft were put to use in warfare they became a necessity to win and advance. The biggest technological advances in military aircraft began after World War 2. There are planes designed for specific tasks such as air to ground combat, air to air combat, surveillance, bombing, mail carriers, and troop transportation. All of these different tasks performed by military aircraft play a key role in the success of our military.

The limitation of drone usage is a topic one can understand through a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of drones. If we limit the usage of drones, we also limit the advantages drones provide us, the biggest being saving lives. By putting drones out into the battle field, we reduce the amount of military personnel we place in combat (Phil for Humanity).

Writers of the German based magazine Military Technology wrote an article in 2012 detailing the possibilities of the vast amount of current drones and of further advancements that may occur in the future. Dennis-Peter Merklinghaus is the editor-in-chief at the magazine and along with Brian Kindamo, a regular contributor to MT, and Jürgen Pöppelmann who served as the aviation expert for the Mönch Group all regaled that “according to recent analyses, UAVs accomplish intelligence gathering, as well as offensive combat roles. The consequences will have increasing demand in the future as forces rely on technology development” (37). They then proceed to look into the future by spinning tails of micro and mini UCAVs that could be taken into hostile territory in substitute for actual soldiers which would save countless lives and subdue the danger from behind a screen with a simple control (Kindamo et al. 38). Kindamo, Merklinghaus, and Pöppelmann list the endless possibilities of UCAVs in the future world armies and aim to sway even the most anti-droner by showing them a future where the aim is so precise, only confirmed targets die.

Drones have several advantages over manned aircraft: they can be flown for up to thirty hours at a stretch without needing to land, can track militants over remote and rugged terrain without risk to their pilots or ground troops, and can pinpoint and strike targets, reducing the time lag between identification and response. These attributes make them especially effective in unconventional warfare, such as counterinsurgency operations in Iraq or the pursuit of al-Qaeda militants into remote and inaccessible areas, such as the Pakistani tribal areas. Drones are also cheaper than manned aircraft.

According to Rodrigues and Cusick (2012) humans are accountable for approximately 70-80% of aviation accidents (p.156). A majority of these are caused by the different variables associated with human performance. Psychological factors have a key role in a pilot’s everyday responsibility. Some of these traits include: perception, memory, attitude, judgment and decision making, as well as ego (Rodrigues & Cusick, 2012, p. 158-160). These qualities can have drastic effects in commercial aviation if they are not recognized and adjusted accordingly. In this paper I will respond to some questions that are raised in aviation safety: