Changes in the
Markus Wiesemann
On 31 January 2007 a milestone was passed on the way to an improvement of the capability profile of the armed forces. The Bundestag (Lower House of Parliament) has resolved to develop the system “Euro Hawk” as a future system for airborne, signaldetecting, wide-area reconnaissance. The system is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which uses the US “Global Hawk” carrier platform as a base and which is to be equipped with sensor devices developed in Germany. This sensor equipment allows reconnaissance of a wide area of the electro-magnetic spectrum and of numerous different signal technologies, e.g. emissions of radar systems and voice traffic. Thus, a UAV of the HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) Class is going to be employed in
Unmanned systems have considerably gained in importance, especially in the light of the paramount significance to have national reconnaissance means and to provide protection for the operating forces. UAVs are defined as follows: aerodynamically flying, propelled aerial vehicle with no crew aboard whose moving control is effected either autonomously or remotely. It can be used once or even several times and it is designed for one or several military mission roles. Ballistic, semiballistic or cruise missiles as well as artillery shells are not considered UAVs. The so-called drones, however, belong to the UAVs. In American terminology the abbreviation UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) has lately been used to signify the complexity of the overall system.
A determining characteristic of UAVs is the absence of a crew aboard the system. This results in a number of advantages, but also restrictions in respect to their construction and use. Assessment criterion for the UAVs is always the overall system; a focusing of the appraisal exclusively on the flying equipment would be an underestimate. By exploiting the constantly increasing technological progress, especially in electronics and information technology, UAVs are primarily suited for scenarios which, for example, require a long loiter time/endurance in the areas of operation or whose mission spectrum is associated with a high strain on and/or endangerment of the crews of manned aircraft.
The space no longer needed for such crewrelated systems as the cockpit, indicators and control devices, cabin air conditioning system, all-round-vision canopy, rescue/escape systems, etc. contributes to a reduction of the deadweight and the construction size and enhances thus the degrees of freedom for the design engineer. The degrees of freedom used to increase the payload and the fuel load, respectively, or to reduce the detection as a result of the changed size or optimized shape. The design advantage gained by flying without a crew is partly reduced by the requirement to provide and keep in reserve adequately robust and efficient data links.
UAVs have an advantage over manned aircraft in cases where the human physical constitution is exposed to too high a stress or where the pilot/the crew is subjected to too high a danger. Keywords are here “dull, dirty, dangerous” within the meaning of monotonous, poisonous, and risky. The UAVs to be operated by the Luftwaffe expand the special properties of air warfare means — exploitation of altitude, speed, range, mobility, flexibility as well as precision — by characteristics like endurance and networking. Altogether, this leads to a high fleet efficiency and effectiveness. UAVs can create the preconditions for a successful joint and combined mission or can support it in a way that the desired operational target can be achieved effectively and efficiently. UAVs employed in this manner have a high operational value as Force Enablers and Force Multipliers.
Capability Profile of the Bundeswehr
Central goal of the transformation is the improvement of the Bundeswehr’s operability. To this end, the responsibilities, tasks, and capabilities have not only to be coordinated with each other, but they have also to be adjusted to the available resources. For this purpose, the orientation towards a joint and combined capability profile has been defined which is composed of:
- Command and control
- Effectiveness in missions/operations
- Mobility
- Support and sustainability
- Intelligence collection and reconnaissance
- Survivability and protection.
Described hereinafter are the employment possibilities of unmanned flying platforms based on the capability categories. What has to be taken into account here is the fact that the military leader has — irrespective of the capability category in which the UAVs are going to be employed — to consider the aspect “robustness and survivability” in the question regarding the success of the mission. UAVs are not throwaway articles. The employment of UAVs available on the market today can be taken responsibility for only in those cases where air forces create the preconditions for their employment by gaining and/or maintaining a sufficient degree of control of the airspace. The price of the UAVs requires that adequately optimized unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) whose design capitalizes on the increased liberties in the construction of unmanned systems and provides for the necessary agility and self-protection equipment should be employed in scenarios with high threat potentials or where there is a unfavorable air situation. This is where the future challenges are.
Command and Control Capability
In the category “Command and Control Capability”, the UAVs have, for a foreseeable period of time, a wide potential field of tasks in the area of command support due to their employment as signal and data relays for the transmission of information. UAVs or unmanned airships flying at high altitudes can, for instance, be employed as carriers of communication relay systems and increase in this way the range of terrestrial transmission systems.
Moreover, the employment of such UAVs allows to support regionally networked communication systems even in regions without any IT infrastructure. This makes it is possible to effectively supplement the command support of mission contingents. Due to their high mobility and, in part, quick worldwide availability, adequately configured UAVs or high altitude airships represent a supplement to the expensive satellite-based communication (SatCom).
Effectiveness in Operations
In the category “Effectiveness in Operations”, the armed forces are just setting out on the realization of the employment of unmanned flying platforms. In the near future it can be expected, however, that many and diverse tasks which manned aircraft has so far accomplished will be taken over by the UAVs. These may range from the engagement of targets on the ground and at sea with lethal and non-lethal effectors up to the effect in the information area and in information operations, respectively. The latter includes electronic countermeasures for the jamming and deception of the adversary’s command, information, reconnaissance and fire control systems within the scope of electronic warfare, but also the dissemination of leaflets as well as radio and television broadcasts.
The employment of UAVs against airborne targets is a great challenge because of the quick processes in the three-dimensional space, which determine the air combat, and the situational awareness, which is rather difficult to generate via sensors, especially with regard to the transmission of data to/from the UAV operator. Therefore, the specific advantages of UAVs are presently not so much effective in air combat. Basically, an employment of UAV platforms with long-range air-to-air missiles would be conceivable here, too, if clearly defined Rules of Engagement (ROE) and the Situational Awareness (SA) permit that.
In scenarios with low threat levels UAVs with long loiter times can guarantee the so-called “permanent engagement capability” by the combination of sensor and effector. A permanent coverage of the area of operations is a prerequisite for the “Time-Sensitive-Targeting” operational procedure; its realization is considerably facilitated by the UAVs. For this type of missions it is initially advisable to arm reconnaissance UAVs (“Weaponized UAVs”). Additional onboard equipment packages (effectors, laser location designators, etc) make these UAVs particularly valuable air warfare means for a large number of missions. In scenarios with a high danger potential or unfavorable air situation, the loss of these “Weaponized UAVs” is not unlikely and their employment is thus risky and less promising.
Thinkable in the category “Mobility” is an employment as a means of transport (e.g. for goods, but also for CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) missions or as a platform for air refueling. In future, UAVs will also be able to deliver automatically working sensor systems into areas to be monitored and to airdrop them there.
The use of UAVs as means of transport is conceivable and should not be ruled out in the conceptual consideration. The advantage over manned aircraft is being assessed as low, however, since the need for protection remains high, the endurance is not significantly longer because of the aerial vehicle’s own fuel requirements, and the saving of space and weight by the absence of a crew is negligible.
Support and Sustainability
In the category “Support and Sustainability” the UAVS can, for instance, indirectly contribute to service support and arms control and verification. The technical-logistical expenditure for a UAV system varies with the platform to be operated, the respective payload, the appurtenant ground and support segment, and the form of employment. The expenditure for the deployment is clearly reduced by the “Remote Split Operations” employment form, which leaves the mission control element as well as the planning, and evaluation components back at the home airbase.
Survivability and Protection
The prerequisite for an effective protection is a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the situation as a basis for political and military command decisions. This requires a system of forces, means and methods of intelligence organizations, which complement each other. Each Service contributes by the activities of its own intelligence/reconnaissance forces and means to a central intelligence pool. Each one of them feeds its additional information requirement into this composite system and satisfies the respective information need from that.
To this end, reconnaissance is conducted as a constant task on all command levels. The military commander is responsible for reconnaissance missions within his area of responsibility. Reconnaissance results from the area of interest — i.e. beyond the area of responsibility of, for instance, the unit commander or ship’s captain — will have to be covered by additional reconnaissance requirements which will have to be forwarded to superior echelons. Should the own forces and means not suffice to meet the own information needs, additional reconnaissance requirements must be put forward to the superior level. A supplementation of the reconnaissance results by others (e.g. allies) might also become necessary. The efficient co-acting of all intelligence/reconnaissance systems contributes especially to a comprehensive picture of the situation. Here, the reconnaissance systems operated by the Luftwaffe for the armed forces (joint and combined) are being attached great importance.
Reconnaissance practiced in this manner provides against surprises and creates the possibility of being able to act on ones own in a foresighted way instead of having to react in surprise. The UAVs to be operated by the Luftwaffe will thus indirectly increase the survivability of the soldiers employed in the area of operations without having to expose themselves to danger. Furthermore, UAVs in the capability category “Survivability and Protection” can perform important tasks in the field of NBC defence and they can contribute considerably to identifications, military security, and successful CSAR missions.
Intelligence Collection and Reconnaissance
Today, UAVs are mostly employed in the field of intelligence. Here, UAVs fulfill a lot of tasks within the scope of imagery reconnaissance and surveillance with infrared (IR), optical and radar sensors and signal-detecting surveillance and reconnaissance. Additional possibilities for employment are their use as sensor carriers, e.g. in form of airships flying at high altitudes for airspace surveillance — today the task of the NATO AWACS fleet — and, in future, within the scope of the surveillance of outer space for acquisition and detection of space-based weapon systems and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The sub-concept “reconnaissance” distinguishes between three areas:
- Worldwide reconnaissance
- Wide-area reconnaissance
- Reconnaissance in the area of operations.
This classification is also determinant for the conceptual requirements for the use of UAVs in the “Intelligence” capability category. Responsibility for the worldwide reconnaissance with the SAR LUPE system (Synthetic Aperture Radar) lies with the Joint Support Service (JSS). The capabilities for wide-area reconnaissance and for reconnaissance in the area of operations are two core elements of the joint and combined approach of an architecture of complementary reconnaissance systems integrated into the composite reconnaissance system. They are subjects of the current project planning and analysis phase. Responsibilities for the Luftwaffe accrue in the fields of wide-area reconnaissance and reconnaissance in the area of operations.
The field of wide-area reconnaissance is divided into the “imagery reconnaissance”, which is to be realized with NATO’s future airborne Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) System on a multinational basis within the NATO framework, and the “signal-detecting reconnaissance”. For the latter, the Bundeswehr plans to procure a High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) system. Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) systems for reconnaissance in the area of operations are being considered in the analysis phase. The Luftwaffe intends in the medium term to purchase a commercial off-the-shelf MALE system for a complementary employment with TORNADO RECCE. The systems for the sub-capability “wide-area reconnaissance” will meet the requirements for a continuous, large-scale, and near-real-time assessment of the situation in regions of particular interest — e.g. in potential or present areas of operations — by an extensive, standoff-capable surveillance as well as for the target-related reconnaissance and identification of individual activities and objects. The Chief of Staff, Bundeswehr, signed the System Capability Requirement “Airborne Wide-area Reconnaissance” on 28 August 2002. It contains the capabilities for both the imaging and the signal-detecting reconnaissance. The required capabilities for airborne wide-area reconnaissance are planned to be ensured by three large projects:
The question of a successor for the ageing “Breguet Atlantic BR 1150” Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) which is being operated under the responsibility of the Navy has been solved after the procurement decision for the Dutch P-3C ORION system was given the final approval by the Parliament; flight operations with the new systems commenced in 2006.
As for the replacement of the SIGINT variant of the “Breguet Atlantic”, the project planning phase for a HALE UAV designated “Euro Hawk” was initiated following the approval of the Final Functional Requirement in August 2004. According to the already mentioned parliamentary decision, a demonstrator is planned to be available as of 2009, initially for industrial trials/test flights, however. The Luftwaffe will introduce and employ this aerial vehicle as of 2010.
For the reconnaissance in the area of operations the concept of the Bundeswehr demands systems, which close the detection gaps in worldwide and wide-area reconnaissance and meet the increasing qualitative and quantitative information requirements of the armed forces in operations. They are to serve a near-real-time assessment of the situation, especially for the employment and command and control of the armed forces on the tactical level, and as a contribution to target acquisition and poststrike reconnaissance. They include the surveillance of areas of limited expanse as well as the targetrelated reconnaissance and identification of individual activities, objects, and forces in an area of operations.
Among other things, the System Capability Requirement “Imagery Reconnaissance in the depth of the Area of Operations” has been worked out for that purpose; following a ministerial coordination process it was signed by the Chief of Staff, Bundeswehr, on 19 December 2005. The System Capability Requirement goes back to an instruction of July 2002 with the designation “MALE UAV”. The strategic goal was to introduce as quickly as possible a commercially available MALE UAV for both reconnaissance and surveillance and to gain as early as possible experiences in the employment of UAVs of the HALE and MALE class. In December 2003, the Armaments Council has decided to break off the projects “Naval Drone” and “Product Improvement of CL289 Drone” and to combine the different conceptions of the Services to a joint, interservice approach. Subsequently, a serious capability gap was recognized in the sub-area of “Imagery Reconnaissance in the Depth of the Area of Operations” because of the lacking capability for surveillance and collection of information on the situation as well as target acquisition and poststrike reconnaissance in the depth of the area of operations; and this capability gap was even widened by the reduction of the TORNADO fleet which also concerns its employment in the reconnaissance role. Choosing an optimized solution proves to be rather difficult in view of the broad spectrum of required capabilities on the one hand and scarce budgetary funds on the other hand.
On 28 August 2006, the Directorate General of Armaments was charged with the exploration of respective approaches for a solution in accordance with the rules of market studies. The results are documented in a survey report and were submitted in March 2007. They serve as a basis for the ministerial decision process. Intended is the approval of the budgetary-based phase documents “Final Functional Requirement” (FFR) or, depending on the approach, FFR with an implementing authorization by 30 June 2007. This date has a strategic significance for the improvement of the operability of the Bundeswehr. The procurement of a commercial off-the-shelf MALE UAV and the cooperation with allied partners having operational experience in the employment of UAVs guarantee a quick capability and experience gain. Delays in the introduction of the UAVs jeopardize the capability profile of the Bundeswehr. In order to close the capability gap in the field of near-real-time collection of information on the situation and surveillance and target acquisition and poststrike reconnaissance it is necessary to introduce as quickly as possible a system for imagery reconnaissance in the depth of the area of operations. These UAVs are essential for the improvement of command decisions and for the enhancement of the protection of the servicewomen and servicemen employed.
Catalyst and Transformation
In addition to the direct contribution to an improvement of the capability profile, the UAVs do also underscore concretely and very tangibly that the transformation of the Bundeswehr is more than just an old military system in a new look. The comprehensive use of the operational performance and capability potential of UAVs is only possible within the joint overall system.
The efficient integration into this overall system demands a holistic, interservice approach from the very outset. Necessary here is an extensive interorganizational cooperation and clear regulations in respect to the responsibilities. The planning, decision, implementation, and evaluation processes are different for HALE and MALE UAVs. The sensor responsibility for signal-detecting reconnaissance for example lies thus with the Joint Support Service and that for the imagery reconnaissance with the Luftwaffe. The IT area must create the preconditions for the near-real-time transmission of the sensor data to the ground stations and, following the analysis and evaluation, to the user. A UAV system architecture is to help manage the huge amounts of data. The introduction of UAVs of the HALE and MALE class must be accompanied by a concurrent implementation of data linkage and network integration. This is the actual challenge for the Bundeswehr in toto, but at the same time also a great chance to create here a real lighthouse project of the transformation. This will allow the armed forces to take a big step in direction of Network Centric Warfare (NCW). By setting out on a quasi real-time reconnaissance the door was pushed open to a completely new dimension of command and control. Even if the present plannings are still concentrated on different reconnaissance roles, the employment of UAVs will open additional improvement potentials in the “sensor-to-shooter” chain.
It becomes apparent that the fielding of UAVs will advance the armed forces not only in a limited sphere, but can assume a proper catalyst function for the transformation in itself. Because although the presently planned UAVs of the HALE and MALE class are going to be introduced in the Luftwaffe, the added value addressed here will benefit the Bundeswehr in total and on all levels — strategically, operationally, and tactically. In this light, the Luftwaffe sees itself as a service provider acting in the interest of the armed forces.
The efficiency and potentials of the systems available on the market could support the missions of the Bundeswehr vigorously today already and contribute to the protection of the mission contingents in particular. Improvised explosive devises and ambushes in missions and operations constitute a grave danger for the soldiers employed. The special weight and importance of UAVs in the protection of ground forces on operation becomes obvious by the combination of efficient sensors, long loiter times/endurance and a computer-based function, the so-called Change Detection Software as it is used by allied armed forces today already. A 100-percent security for the ground forces cannot be achieved by such reconnaissance systems. But just the mere possibility that some potential attacks can be prevented in future and that soldiers — even if only a few — can be saved from wounds or death underlines the special significance of that use. In this context it becomes also apparent that the protection of the individual soldier exceeds by far passive measures as, e.g. armor plating, because the prevention of an explosion is — naturally — preferred to an alleviation of its effects. In
The introduction of UAVs of the HALE and MALE class in the Luftwaffe is associated with a wide variety of measures. Required processes, organizational as well as personnel and technical/functional structures, procedures and information relations have to be newly configured in a forward-looking way. In contact with friendly air forces it is, for instance, possible to collect essential information for operational and logistical concepts and data links. In addition, numerous national and multinational forums/ symposiums on UAV subject matters are taken advantage of. For the purpose of preparing the introduction of UAVs in the Luftwaffe and creating the organizational prerequisites the information and results gained are injected into the overall planning and taken account of in the basic documents. The Director, Air Staff, put the “Conceptual Basic Ideas on the Employment of UAVs by the Luftwaffe” into force on 16 February 2006. This document was followed by the “Outline Directive on the Employment of UAVs” issued by the Chief of Staff, Luftwaffe, in late April.
Both the conceptual basic ideas and the outline directive on UAVs constitute the conceptual basis for, inter alias, the definition of study activities, questions on the system architecture and aspects of information supply. The operational concept “Euro Hawk” was worked out under the lead management of the Air Force Command and is now under ministerial study. As a system-related basic document is will provide concrete instructions for acting in the preparation of the introduction and use of the HALE system and serve as a fulcrum for subordinate documents such as training or logistic concepts. In addition, the Armed Forces Staff has directed the preparation of joint basic conceptions on the UAVs.
Presently, a document is being finalized under the lead of the Luftwaffe, which will be applicable to the diversity of different UAVs that are already in use today or are going to be employed by the Bundeswehr in future.All this happens within the scope of a project for concept development and experimentation (CD&E), which will be followed by additional projects. Aside from national decisions on the stationing and initiation of respective constructional measures with 51st Reconnaissance Wing “Immelmann”, the Geilenkirchen and Schleswig-Jagel air bases were offered as locations for the NATO AGS core capability. Respective NATO studies at these bases have already taken place and produced very promising results. A decision is expected to be made in this very year 2007. In the field of MALE UAVs, the Luftwaffe advocates an initial equipping for imagery reconnaissance in the depth of the area of operations as of 2010. Most favored is the PREDATOR B with 5 aerial vehicles, 2 ground stations with 1 LRE (Launch & Recovery Element) and 1 MCE (Mission Control Element), communication systems and peripheral devices.
Among other things, the Luftwaffe has to carry out the technical tasks of flight safety and flight operations for the Bundeswehr. With reference to the UAVs this encompasses not only ensuring suitable training of UAV operators (the currently valid instruction provides for them to have a valid pilot license with instrument flight certificate), but also guaranteeing the airworthiness of the UAVs and developing safe and cooperative flight operation procedures for the participation of UAVs in general air traffic.
As far as this is concerned, the Luftwaffe has to be prepared for a number of questions that will be asked by both the political side and the public — probably tainted with a strong prejudice. In order to be able to answer such questions and to obtain the necessary political and technical acceptance — this, by the way, has also to be in accord with the current EU regulations — it is essential to make a safety assessment. A safety case is not an assessment whether or not the UAF system is suited or “safe enough” to be integrated into the general air traffic, but the safety assessment wants to pragmatically analyze and document by use of an example how this integration can be ensured on the premise of a minimization of all foreseeable risks. Yardstick here is the manned aviation. In operations a comparable level of flight safety must also be guaranteed with UAVs. In other words: the objective is to develop within the course of the safety case process practical flight operations procedures for an integration of UAVs to participate in general air traffic in the controlled airspace, outside of restricted areas.
UAVs take a Special Position
In summary it can be stated that UAVs occupy a special position when compared to many other procurement projects. They are suitable of achieving lasting improvements in all capability categories. They require jointness for an expedient use and open the door to Network Centric Warfare (NCW). The Luftwaffe sees itself as a service provider within the meaning of jointness. UAVs offer inherent advantages independent of scenario, threat and prevailing situation, which essentially result from the absence of a crew aboard such vehicles. The long range as well as the long endurance in the area of operations gives the UAV systems a high fleet effectiveness. Today already could commercially available UAVs provide an immediate and real added value to the improvement of command decisions and the protection of our soldiers in operations. Although the conception work is progressing very well, a lot of questions, particularly in the fields of technology, training, organization, and licensing, need still to be answered. But the majority of these questions will be possible to be successfully clarified only when sufficient own experience has been gained in the operation of HALE and/or MALE UAVs. Unmanned aerial vehicles cannot fully replace manned aircraft, but they can expediently complement these to a certain degree in the weapon system pool of air warfare. In future, manned aircraft will be available in small numbers only and they will have to cover more and more potential missions options within the meaning of a multi-role activity at the same time. Here, unmanned systems have a relieving effect and, moreover, develop a new quality of the capability structure. Appropriately employed UAVs will become an indispensable instrument in the projection of air power.
By LTC (GE AF) Markus Wiesemann, Assistant Branch Chief, Air Staff.