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2005 DOD Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) U.S. Military Roadmap 2005 - 2030, Predator, Hunter, Airships, J-UCAS, X-45, Drones (Ring-bound)
2005 DOD Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Unmanned Aircraft Systems US Military Roadmap 2005 2030 Predator Hunter Airships JUCAS X45 Drones - UAVs - UAS - Ring-bound Author:Department of Defense NEW 2005 MILITARY UAS ROADMAP - This important military document, released in August 2005, presents a comprehensive, fully illustrated Department of Defense plan for developing and employing UAVs, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and related vehicles, including airships, over the next 25 years. UAV and UAS systems include Predator, Hunter, Sha... more »dow, Pioneer, Global Hawk, Fire Scout, X-45, X-47, FCS, Gnat, GHMD, X-50 Dragonfly, Hummingbird, Cormorant, DP-5X, Long Gun, Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR), Eagle Eye, Neptune, Maverick, Tern, Mako, Snow Goose, Dragon Eye, Batcam. There are over 75 detailed illustrations, charts, graphs, photographs, and tables in this authoritative DOD review. As the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) enters its fourth year, the contributions of unmanned aircraft (UA) in sorties, hours, and expanded roles continue to increase. As of September 2004, some twenty types of coalition UA, large and small, have flown over 100,000 total flight hours in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). Their once reconnaissance-only role is now shared with strike, force protection, and signals collection, and, in doing so, have helped reduce the complexity and time lag in the sensor-to-shooter chain for acting on ?actionable intelligence.? UA systems (UAS) continue to expand, encompassing a broad range of mission capabilities. These diverse systems range in cost from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars, and range in capability from Micro Air Vehicles (MAV) weighing less than one pound to aircraft weighing over 40,000 pounds. UA, and unmanned systems in general, are changing the conduct of military! operations in the GWOT by providing unrelenting pursuit without offering the terrorist a high value target or a potential captive. As the Department of Defense (DoD) develops and employs an increasingly sophisticated force of unmanned systems, including UA over the next 25 years (2005 to 2030), technologists, acquisition officials, and operational planners require a clear, coordinated plan for the evolution and transition of this capability. The overarching goal of this Roadmap, in following the Strategic Planning Guidance (SPG), is to guide the Military Departments and defense agencies toward a logical, systematic migration of mission capabilities to this new class of military tools. The goal is to address the most urgent mission needs that are supported both technologically and operationally by various UAS. Some DoD missions can be supported by the current state of the art in unmanned technology where the capabilities of current or near-term assets are sufficient and the risk to DoD members is relatively low. Other mission areas, however, are in urgent need of additional capability and present high risk to aircraft crews. These mission areas, highlighted in this Roadmap, will receive significant near-term effort by the Department. Cruise missile weapons are occasionally confused with UA weapon systems because they are both unmanned. The key discriminators are (1) UA are equipped and intended for recovery at the end of their flight, and cruise missiles are not, and (2) munitions carried by UA are not tailored and integrated into their airframe whereas the cruise missile?s warhead is. This distinction is clearly made in the DoD Dictionary?s definition for ?UAV? (or UA): A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or non-lethal payload. Ballistic or semi ballistic vehicles, cruise missiles, and artillery projectiles are not considered unmanned aerial vehicles.« less