RPA / UAS support to Environmental Monitoring LtCol Peter “Pepe” LeHew AF/A2Q RPA Innovations 4 Feb 2011

Overview USAF RPA 101 The Triads Sample Missions Lessons Learned

The UAS Family of Systems LOW CAPABILITY RANGE/ENDURANCE/PAYLOAD HIGH CAPABILITY MULTI-MISSION MICRO NANO MULTI-ROLE / MULTI-SENSOR MANPORTABLE Mid-High Altitude UAS (Theater) Small UAS (Tactical) MQ-1 Predator RAVEN B Scan Eagle TIER II STUAS WASP III BATMAV LETHAL SUAS MQ-9 Reaper Under Development EXPENDABLE - ISR EXPENDABLE - LETHAL RQ-4 Global Hawk RECOVERABLE - ISR AIR-LAUNCHED (ALUAS) Under Development SUAS Operators Rated UAS Aviators

Pieces of the RPA Mission Operations Manning Maintenance Manning Aircraft These needs are similar to those for manned aircraft This is required for Recon missions Intelligence Exploitation ? These needs are unique to remotely piloted aircraft Ground Control Station Communications Infrastructure & Bandwidth Launch and Recovery Element Squadron Operations Center Mission

What makes RPA unique Old “Dull, Dirty and Dangerous” mantra still valid for environment missions Turbulence Man Made disasters (CBRNE) Endurance 1 G, Zero Knot cockpit with land based comm nodes The Ground control station can provide distributed sensor data capability (streaming Video/sensor data, aircraft telemetry data (winds, outside air temp, PA, etc) Extended crew options not limited by aircraft size Remote Split Operations for smaller deployed footprint Most are not as tolerant of adverse weather as manned assets

Who Where What Remember the Triads The RPA Crew Exploiters Supported Unit Voice Aircraft Data GCS What Video SOC GCS = Ground Control Station SOC – Squadron Operations Center

UASs in Civil Service First operational missions of RQ-4 Global Hawk were in support of civil authorities Closed critical info gaps during California Wildfires RQ-4 infrared imagery highlighted unknown fire areas & fire lines Authorities retasked the Global Hawk as needs arose DHS (CBP) deployed an MQ-9 during Hurricane Gustav to support response and recovery efforts via streaming video “Firefighters dynamically re-located based on imagery products” (AFNORTH/CC)

Haiti’s First Responder ROVER - Eagle Vision - FalconView

ROVER and California Fires ROVER Video posted NORTHCOM website ROVER Team FalconView Training for State Fire Chief Fire Fighter (Don Green) embedded with AFCSO Team

Lesson Learned = PLAN AHEAD Airspace Access Communication details C2 link, ROVER freqs, ATC, audio comm, encrypted? Getting the data (Sensor data, Aircraft wx telemetry) ROVER Network/ terrestrial options Exploiting the data - Who, how, where, what Training – CONOPs, tactics, terminology, limitations Legal – Title 10 vs 32, Posse Comitatus, Intel vs SA Prepare – equipment, websites, inject nodes, checklists

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ….Henry Ford

Questions ???

Backup Slides Current RPA Snapshot Remote-Split Operations Operations Center Ground Control Station GUI USAF RPA Specifications Ongoing RPA Enhancements Small Tactical UAS Wide Area Airborne Surveillance (WAAS)

Ramping to 65 Predator and Reaper and 5 Global Hawk CAPs by FY13 Current RPA Snapshot MQ-1 Predator Objective Force: 185 > 632k flight hours 28 CAPs (flown from CONUS) 78 aircraft deployed 138,404 combat hours in 2008 ~180,000 combat hours in 2009 MQ-9 Reaper Objective Force: 319 > 74k flight hours 12 CAPs (flown from CONUS) 19 aircraft deployed 12, 770 combat hours in 2008 ~30,960 combat hours in 2009 1st sortie Sep 07 Fielded over 1 year early RQ-4 Global Hawk Objective Force: 77 > 35k flight hours 1 CAP (flown from CONUS) 3 aircraft deployed 6,544 combat hours in FY 2009 Helping Navy with their system Ramping to 65 Predator and Reaper and 5 Global Hawk CAPs by FY13

Remote-Split Operations Ku Satellite Nellis AFB In Theater GCS Fiber Optics PPSL LOS Only LMA – Link Manager Assembly – the satellite “modem” ATM – Asynchronous Transfer Mode DATMS – DISN ATM System DISN – Defense Information System Network Ops Ctr Predator Video Network Mission Control Element Launch & Recovery Element

Operations Supervisor Operations Center How the Missions are Managed: Operations Center Manages sortie generation and crew assignment Provides msn comm and situational awareness (SA) to mission crews Distributes video and tactical data link tracks Provides weather and intel support to msns Supports aircraft emergencies and msn retaskings Air Crew Air Crew Air Crew Air Crew DCGS Army TOC DCGS Marine TOC DCGS SOF TOC DCGS SOF TOC Msn Coord Msn Coord Msn Coord Msn Coord Weather Operations Supervisor Senior Intel Manager CAOC LRE

Ground Control Station GUI

USAF RPA Specifications MQ-1B Predator MQ-9 Reaper RQ-4 Global Hawk (Blk 10) Primary Contractor General Atomics Northrop Grumman Max T.O. Weight 2,550 lbs 10,500 lbs 26,750 lbs Payload (Internal) 450 lbs 850 lbs 2,000 lbs Payload (External) 300 lbs 3,000 lbs N/A - Inboard Wing Station 1,500 lbs - Middle Wing Station 650 lbs - Outboard Wing Station 150 lbs Total Payload 750 lbs 3,850 lbs EO/IR Imagery Full Motion Video Hi Resolution Stills SAR Yes SIGINT No Weaponization AGM-114 Hellfire AGM-114; GBU-12 Cruise Airspeed 80 KTAS 225 KTAS 350 KTAS Endurance >24 hrs clean, 22 SCL 24 hrs clean, 16 SCL >30 hrs Max Altitude 25,000 ft 50,000 ft 65,000 ft Data Links C-Band / Ku-Band UHF / X-Band CDL / Ku-Band Navigation System GPS / INS

Ongoing RPA Enhancements MQ-1 Predator Encrypted communications links Secure RVT (portable LOS video terminals) Enhanced Target Location Accuracy (TLA) MQ-9 Reaper Auto take-off and landing system Gorgon Stare: 1 MQ-9 = 65+ video shots Improved SAR dissemination BACN = Battlefield Airborne Communications Node RQ-4 Global Hawk Enhanced EO/IR cameras Enhanced synthetic aperture radars Communications relay (BACN)

Small Tactical UAS Tier II STUAS Analysis of Alternatives Tactical UAS to have a TAMDAR-like WX sensor on it to provide constant WX updates while conducting its primary mission thereby providing more accurate WX information at the target area within a 360 degree area out to the maximum distance of the laser

Wide Area Airborne Surveillance (WAAS) The impact of UAS on the larger ISR enterprise Increment 2 Gorgon Stare Increment 1 Gorgon Stare FMV MQ-9 Wide area coverage with 10 independent ROVER queries through the GORGON STARE ground station MQ-9 Better area overage and resolution with at least 10 independent ROVER queries through the GORGON STARE ground station MQ-1 Observe single target Single ROVER / OSRVT Today