Sun, Nov 07, 2010
U.S. Air Force Wants Stealthier Unmanned Systems For
Surveillance, Combat
The U.S. military is increasingly relying on unmanned aerial
systems for surveillance and combat, but with increasing concerns
about the need to gather intelligence in more contested airspace,
the Pentagon says it needs more technically advanced UAVs.
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and
Requirements Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove told Fox News recently that
future missions may require UAVs with more advanced stealth
characteristics than are currently available. He said that an
increase in terrorist activities is driving part of that need, but
there is also the possibility that the next war could be against an
enemy with a more sophisticated Air Force and well-equipped
military.
There are currently about 45 UAVs operating in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Breedlove said that they are on track to record a million
hours of CAP duty over war zones by the first of the year. He said
that operation of unmanned platforms is the Air Force's primary
manpower issue, with as many as 200 people needed to operate one
UAV on a 24-hour basis.
While Breedlove would not be specific about some of the
technology currently under development, he did discuss a sensor
called the "Gorgon Stare," which is named after a creature in Greek
mythology who's look would turn a person to stone. The sensor would
allow a UAV to search a wider area, and distribute intelligence
gathered from multiple areas simultaneously.
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