1. UAS Combat Threat Survivability SURVICE Engineering Company
Ron Dexter
SURVICE Engineering Company
4141 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Suite 209
Dayton, OH 45431
PH: (937)

2. Combat Threat Survivability
Abbreviated Definition:
The ability to be mission capable after an encounter with a hostile threat
Requirements for UAS survivability will morph and grow as their applicability transitions from a “wingman” perspective to a “point” position
UAS survivability is not a “nice to have”
The “disposable” tag is no longer applicable
UAS increase survivability of assets AND individuals
Commanders have come to depend on them
Troops have come to depend on them
“Survivability and reliability are critical to the operational effectiveness of our UAV systems, and must be factored into their initial design”
USD(AT&L) letter 27 Jan 2005

3. Signature Management &
Survivability Onion
Avoid Encounter
Situational Awareness & Tactics
Distributed
Information
Networked
Resources
Avoid Detection and Acquisition
Signature Management &
Countermeasures
Radar
Obscurants
Electronic
Avoid Hit
Jammers
Countermeasures &
Active Protection
Infrared
Maneuvers
Acoustic
Aim Point
Bias
Decoys -
Avoid Damage
And Kill
Redundancy
Hardening
Shield
Armor
Maintain
Readiness
Susceptibility
Battle Damage
and Repair
Vulnerability

4. UAS Survivability is Challenging
Primitive threats can be lethal to some
Systems are very weight sensitive
Limited defensive equipment
Difficult to build-in redundancy
Reduced situational awareness itself
Challenging ability to react to situations and damage
UAS are being engaged and damaged by traditional threats!

5. Effects of Attrition
A small 0.2% attrition rate results in 50% of assets lost after only 350 sorties
Ref: JAS Aircraft Survivability Journal; Fall 2008

6. Survivability Cost Effectiveness
Initial survivability enhancements save more assets than they cost, bringing down life cycle cost
Added features may reduce losses, but the number of UAS saved may not recover their cost
SYSTEM
Life Cycle
COST X
Survivability Trades: Finding the OPTIMUM SURVIVABILITY INVESTMENT
COST of SURVIVABILITY FEATURES

7. Items for Consideration
UAS, UAV, RPV, RPS: By whatever acronym you choose, these platforms have become an integral part of the battlefield as they support lives on the ground, sea, and air
As UAS benefits increase, so does their potential as a threat to enemy forces; thus they are being targeted just as historical manned aircraft have been
Many manned system survivability enhancement techniques and technologies are applicable to UAS as well
UAS are not always considered “disposable” as lives depend on them for key battlefield information
To be cost effective, survivability requirements must be defined in the early strategic planning stages and enforced throughout the design, and lifecycle

8. Backup

9. Balanced Survivability Design
SUSCEPTIBILITY REDUCTION
VULNERABILITY
REDUCTION
Threat
Suppression
Detection & Engagement Avoidance
Lethal
Countermeasures
Minimize
Exposure
Damage Tolerance
& Graceful Failure
Warning
Off-Board Cueing
Targeting Systems
Stand-Off Weapons
All Weather & Night
Operations
Platform Performance
Radar Warning
IR Missile Launch
Sensors
Missile Attack
Warning
Anti-Radiation Missiles
Aircraft Armament
Robust Structures
Component & Sub-
system Redundancy
Component Location
Shielding
Fire Detection
Fire Suppression
Explosion Suppression
Eliminate Components
Reconfigurable
COMMON
Signature Reduction (RF, IR, Optical, etc.)
Electronic Noise Jamming & Deceivers
Tactics & Off-Board Support
Expendables (Chaff, Flares, Decoys)
Optical & Electro-Optical Countermeasures
Crew Skill & Experience
Situational Awareness/Networked systems
Survivability Enhancements Must be Both Affordable & Supportable