Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 1, Number 1, Fall 2015 | Page 16

The Future of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Improving UAV Survivability
For many of the UAV missions discussed above, a major factor in potential
adoption will be overcoming the aircraft survivability challenge. While the
development of defensive countermeasures such as a jamming pod and a flare
dispenser are plausible, the addition of the extra weight and expense runs counter
to the inherent cost savings of using UAVs. Therefore, current efforts focus on
one of the three methods: stealth, mass, and miniaturization. Stealth is certainly
proven technology. But, the high cost of stealth will limit this option for widespread
adoption. While the technology is already proven, reliance on high-priced UAVs will
leave the fleet lacking in sufficient quantity to meet operational demands. There just
will not be enough to go around.
A swarm is one method to improve UAV access in an advanced air defense
environment. If UAVs were cheap enough, it would enable the creation of mini-UAV
“swarms.” Advanced software algorithms already exist which will enable groups of
UAVs to fly cooperatively. Swarm theory is reminiscent of classic airpower theorist
Gulio Douhet’s argument that aerial defense is inefficient due to the dispersion of
resources to cover the variety of potential routes and targets (Douhet 1983, 15-19). A
swarm “complicates an adversary’s targeting problem and allows graceful degradation
of combat power as assets are attrited” (Scharre 2014, 6). The development of a
swarm provides lots of possibilities for offensive use. An inexpensive UAV kamikaze
would be useful for nearly any type of lethal mission. Swarms would also present a
complex challenge for adversary air defenses simply due to overwhelming numbers
or act as cheap decoys designed to absorb surface-to-air missiles (Ehrhard 2010, 25).
Moreover, the high-quantity, low-cost swarm makes some attrition acceptable.
Instead of expensive methods to make large aircraft stealthy, platforms can
attain reduced observability through miniaturization. The invention of nano UAVs
opened a new path for low observability without expensive radar-evading technology.
To get the full functionality of nano UAVs, they need to be capable of beyond-lineof-sight
(BLOS) operations and operate inside buildings. Unfortunately, this tends to
require increased power for range and communications that grow the UAV beyond
the nano size. An alternative to BLOS is dropping the nano UAVs from a mother
ship such as a C-17. Unfortunately, without a stealth mother ship the concept is
limited to operations where the adversary has limited air defense capabilities.
Advances in nanotechnology also birthed the feasibility of bio-drones. When
a University of Colorado Boulder professor brought the concept up at a recent
conference, the inherent advantages were not obvious. Considering that animal
rights groups convinced the U.S. Army to stop using pigs to teach combat trauma
first aid, it seemed unlikely that the military would turn animals into UAVs. Since the
technology requires some type of brain control, the cruelty involved seems unlikely
to meet the military necessity threshold.
But, there is some room for innovation here. A dolphin is more agile and
faster than any remote control submarine. The Navy uses dolphins to help detect
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