Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also commonly referred to as drones, are becoming increasingly important for conventional warfare. There is a clear advance toward developing systems, which are capable of executing precision strikes deep behind enemy lines.
Let’s take look how drones went from gathering information to the execution of precision strikes and find out how both capabilities work in conjunction.
Entering the Era of Drones
Drones have been around for a longer period of time, than people usually expect. The first successful attemps with targeting drones even go back to the time before the Second World War. However, nowhere near the capabilities of modern drones, these early designs laid the foundation for unmanned aviation.
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Vietnam
Firefly and Lightning Bug
- The focus of drones then shifted to reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam War. The Ryan Model 147 Lightning Bug spearheaded drone operations during the Cold War. It conducted Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over Vietnamese skies. With over 3,000 missions completed and only little over 500 of them shot down, these drones provided critical information without risking the lives of american soldiers.
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Afghanistan & Iraq
Rise of the Predator
- In the beginning of the 21th century, drones came to greater prominence during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was the MQ-1 Predator in particular, that defined how the public started to perceive drone warfare.
- As part of the the Global War on Terror, drones have become a widely used tool for ISR and strike missions in counter-terrorism campaigns.
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Recent Trends
From Civilian Drones to Loitering Munitions and the Loyal Wingman
- The war in Ukraine demonstrated the widespread use of civilian drones for military purposes. In addition, loitering munitions or also reffered to as “Kamikaze Drones” are increasingly being used by both sides.
- In the Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan used medium-sized drones, enhancing its conventional military capabilities.
- Military powers such as the United States and China want to develop unmanned platforms that act as loyal wingmen in conjunction with manned aircraft. These drones can make up for the lack of manpower and bring the necessary mass into an operation.
Drones are a Mature Technology for the Modern Battlefield
Seizing the Opportunity to Make Drones an Integral Part of Warfare
Born out of the necessity to counter the insurgencies during the wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003), the U.S. began to deploy drones in large quantities. Primarily used for Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance (ISR) missions, drones offered a safer way to conduct ISR missions and gather information for subsequent strikes. During this period of time, it was the Predator, that allowed the U.S. to gain the information advantage on the battlefield.
By improving the situational awareness, drones greatly contributed to reduce the need for large-scale ground-operations. Especially in asymmetric conflicts and prolonged operations, drones have proven to be valuable assets.
These initial experiences with unmanned platforms led to increasing U.S. interest in the deployment of drones. Consequently, the U.S. seized the opportunity and developed numerous highly successful platforms, making the US a leader in the use of drones.
ISR is an essential aspect of any military operation. Drones can provide higher quality information of a target to improve situational awareness. They can get closer to the target, deploy to more dangerous missions and act as a communications relay for friendly forces. As a result, military planners can make make more informed decisions.
ISR is an essential aspect of any military operation. Drones can provide higher quality information of a target to improve situational awareness. They can get closer to the target, deploy to more dangerous missions and act as a communications relay for friendly forces. As a result, military planners can make make more informed decisions.
ISR is an essential aspect of any military operation. Drones can provide higher quality information of a target to improve situational awareness. They can get closer to the target, deploy to more dangerous missions and act as a communications relay for friendly forces. As a result, military planners can make make more informed decisions.
Drones have been increasingly used to execute strike missions with precision guided munitions. Combining Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) with a strike capability allows drones to perform complex missions on their own. It makes modern drones like the MQ-9 Reaper true Hunter-Killers.
Drones have been increasingly used to execute strike missions with precision guided munitions. Combining Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) with a strike capability allows drones to perform complex missions on their own. It makes modern drones like the MQ-9 Reaper true Hunter-Killers.
Drones have been increasingly used to execute strike missions with precision guided munitions. Combining Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) with a strike capability allows drones to perform complex missions on their own. It makes modern drones like the MQ-9 Reaper true Hunter-Killers.
The Loyal Wingman is a concept, that poposes to team up manned aircraft with unmanned drones. This collaboration aims to provide additional capabilities and increase the payload capacity, that a manned aircraft can bring into an operation. These capabilities could encompass precision strike, ISR, targeting, communications, electronic warfare, jamming and decoys. Cost-efficiency is also a major issue, why the demand for autonomous drones in the future is increasing.
The Loyal Wingman is a concept, that poposes to team up manned aircraft with unmanned drones. This collaboration aims to provide additional capabilities and increase the payload capacity, that a manned aircraft can bring into an operation. These capabilities could encompass precision strike, ISR, targeting, communications, electronic warfare, jamming and decoys. Cost-efficiency is also a major issue, why the demand for autonomous drones in the future is increasing.
The Loyal Wingman is a concept, that poposes to team up manned aircraft with unmanned drones. This collaboration aims to provide additional capabilities and increase the payload capacity, that a manned aircraft can bring into an operation. These capabilities could encompass precision strike, ISR, targeting, communications, electronic warfare, jamming and decoys. Cost-efficiency is also a major issue, why the demand for autonomous drones in the future is increasing.
The combat range of modern aircraft are becoming more important. That is due to a variety of factors. For example, advanced air defense networks can target aircraft at increasing distances. Then, offensive missile capabilities such as cruise- and anti-ship missiles make it more difficult to operate aircraft close to enemy territory. That results in the need for a capability to operate from longer distances. Refueling drones like the MQ-25 Stingray can increase the range of aircraft significantly.
The combat range of modern aircraft are becoming more important. That is due to a variety of factors. For example, advanced air defense networks can target aircraft at increasing distances. Then, offensive missile capabilities such as cruise- and anti-ship missiles make it more difficult to operate aircraft close to enemy territory. That results in the need for a capability to operate from longer distances. Refueling drones like the MQ-25 Stingray can increase the range of aircraft significantly.
The combat range of modern aircraft are becoming more important. That is due to a variety of factors. For example, advanced air defense networks can target aircraft at increasing distances. Then, offensive missile capabilities such as cruise- and anti-ship missiles make it more difficult to operate aircraft close to enemy territory. That results in the need for a capability to operate from longer distances. Refueling drones like the MQ-25 Stingray can increase the range of aircraft significantly.
ISR Laid the Foundation for Drones Having a Precision Strike Capability
Undeniably, a drone offers some unique advantages over manned aircraft, making it a convenient choice for introducing additional capabilities. Particularly advantageous are their endurance, proven sensor capabilities, small logistical footprint, low costs and the reduction of risk for personnel. Moreover, the option to treat drones as attritable assets allows for riskier missions to be carried out, even in contested environments. As a result, the scope of missions, that can be carried out by drones expanded rapidly over the last two decades. This gain in capabilities, such as air-to-ground strike, rendered new mission types possible. Still, most drone missions today remain dedicated to ISR, even if their use for precision strikes has been increasing too.
Since information is essential for the execution of any mission, bringing information-gathering (ISR) and the shooter (strike) closer together can significantly shorten the entire process along the kill chain. For example, the information live-feed can reduce the time for the decision-making while a strike capability eliminates allows for engaging directly. Therefore, facilitating a strike could be more rapid and efficient, if both capabilities were combined into a single drone.
Developing Drones into true Hunter-Killers
Eventually, by developing larger and more capable platforms, the introduction of a precision strike capability was an inevitable occurrence. Today, drones are increasingly capable multi-purpose platforms, that can deploy in a wide variety of roles. Whether there are specialized drones working in conjunction or a single drone featuring both capabilities depends on the mission and deployment strategy. This high level of versatility and flexibility will be particularly important for strike missions deep within enemy territory or if time is a critical factor.
Note: While using only one multi-role drone to execute the mission can be advantageous, deploying two or more drones in specialized roles can also be a benefit. In direct comparison, deploying just a single drone reduces the level of complexity to coordinate all elements. Hence, there are less sources of potential error. On the other hand, if one drone dedicates to ISR and one to precision strike, each platform can be maxed out to excel at its specific role. The ISR drone could be light-weight, high-flying and stealthy with extreme endurance, while the strike drone improves on payload, speed and range. Depending on the mission, either variant might be the right choice.
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Editor’s Note
All illustrations, tables, pictures and given scenarios in this article are for explanatory purposes only and do not show any information, which is not publicly available. The article and its content refrains from making any political statement.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.