Military AI Works

From AF Daily Report 2 FEB 09

Accessing National Airspace: The Department of Defense needs more access to the National Airspace System for its unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the Pentagon's newly released Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review Report (full document; caution large file), the services will increasingly need that admittance, both for training and operational missions, since there is limited availability in restricted airspace and UAV fleets are continuing to expand rapidly. In fact, by 2013, the services estimate that UAV missions will eat up more than one million flight hours, the majority of which will occur outside of restricted airspace. Accordingly, the report states that the Pentagon's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Task Force is developing a plan to alleviate flight restrictions for all classes of UAVs in the NAS. And, US Joint Forces Command's UAS Center of Excellence is leading a review of the airspace access requirements for all classes of military UAVs. JFCOM's UAS COE is also tackling issues associated with airworthiness certification, standardized UAV qualifications for each class of airspace, and development of sense-and-avoid technology to prevent midair collisions.

They should file an IFR flightplan and deal with ATC just like the rest of us.......

I agree with Mike. Shouldn't be that hard for the operators to track the UAV, make reports and follow directions. I think some even have optics so they could 'see' other traffic. Probably the hard part would be for the other traffic to see them. I don't know if they have IFF or Transponders, but that shouldn't be all that hard either.

I would hope, actually PRAY, that they have transponders! Even if it isn't mode S, you could at least see them on a TCAS system.

I don't know how those guys operate their UAS systems but something tells me they don't fly from one databased waypoint to the next in a predictable fashion. So in that respect, I'm not sure how they would fit into the IFR world.

If they are actively tracking a target of interest, they're not going to want to "turn 30* left for traffic" if you know what I mean.

But they need to figure something out because UAVs are here to stay and their predicted numbers as far as usage are staggering over the next couple of years.

A few years ago a British Police Chief suggested that the UK Police have UAVs to monitor high crime areas with real time TV down links to the police HQs. Cheaper than helicopters. The politicians weren't keen on the idea at the time.

From AF Daily Report 3 Feb 09

Reaping the Benefits: Members from the 432d Wing from Creech AFB, Nev. on Jan. 15 completed a successful test flight of an MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle from Holloman AFB, N.M., through the training airspace of Ft. Irwin, Calif. The Reaper operators used remote split operations to control the aircraft during the mission, meaning airmen both at Creech and Holloman were able to command it at times via satellite links. Holloman has been identified as USAF's next preferred location for formal training of airmen on the MQ-9 as well as the MQ-1 Predator; Creech is home to the sole current formal training unit. The ability to conduct RSO adds more flexibility to the training. "If the weather is poor for an extended period at Holloman, for example, we will have the ability to fly an airplane launched at Creech to help students graduate on time," said Lt. Col. James Merchant, commander of Det. 1 of the 432nd Wing at Holloman. Detachments of the 432nd Wing have been stationed at Holloman since November 2008 and will remain there until the final beddown decision is made. (Creech report by Capt. Brooke Brander)

Honolulu Advertiser
April 26, 2009

Don't Expect A Sky Full Of Drone Aircraft

Fear of collisions keeps unmanned fleets on ground

By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Leaps in unmanned aircraft technology have military authorities clamoring to use drones for everything from coastal patrols and border surveillance to tracking natural disasters. But fears of midair collisions are slowing any broad expansion of their domestic use.

Federal Aviation Administration officials made it clear in a recent closed government conference that until the pilotless aircraft gain the high-tech ability to sense and avoid commercial aircraft and other airborne objects, the government is unlikely to allow them to operate much more freely in congested airspace.

For the military, it's a frustrating limitation. For the FAA, it's a matter of safety.

During the Northern California wildfires last summer, the Air Force, Navy and NASA each offered to launch unmanned systems to track the flames, identify hot spots and determine where the fires were likely to move. But due to FAA guidelines, only a single drone could fly in the region at one time.

NASA's Ikhana — a variant of the military's Predator unmanned aircraft — got the first call. Global Hawks operated by the Navy and Air Force were also flown, but at separate times from the NASA drone.

Military officials raised the firefighting incident as an example of expanded drone uses during a two-day summit at U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colo., late last month. At the meeting, up to 100 senior leaders from at least 10 government agencies tried to resolve some of the problems that restrict the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, in American airspace.

"I realize that (the Defense Department) has been very comfortable with using UAVs at will in Iraq and Afghanistan airspace," said John Allen, director of Flight Standards Service for the FAA, during an interview with The Associated Press. "And there is a reality check when they bring them stateside and try to utilize them and realize there are restrictions."

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency expects to have a plan covering drone use in place next year, and will try to work with military and other officials in the coming fire and hurricane seasons to perhaps allow some type of staggered flights if needed.

The increasing demand for drones raises complex questions because the aircraft are piloted remotely, often from thousands of miles away. Their intrusion into crowded air traffic lanes would require constant monitoring and coordination to avoid planes, tall buildings and possibly each other.