GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
An opportunity could emerge if the USN merges its UCAV-Navy and MRE programmes
Lockheed Martin is hoping a rethink of US Navy priorities will offer it a chance to re-enter the unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) arena. An opportunity could emerge if the navy decides to merge its UCAV-Navy (UCAV-N) and Multirole Endurance (MRE) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) programmes.
Lockheed Martin has focused its design efforts on unmanned reconnaissance air vehicles (URAVs) since losing the US Air Force UCAV and USN UCAV-N technology demonstration programmes. The company was one of four to complete feasibility studies of the MRE ship-based multi-mission UAV.
Following completion of the 10-month studies by Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, the navy is deciding whether to merge the MRE and UCAV-N programmes, as their roles overlap. The UCAV-N has been tasked with surveillance in addition to suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) and strike, while MRE missions include reconnaissance as well as battle-damage assessment (BDA), electronic warfare and communications relay. UCAV-N is set to enter service after 2005 whereas MRE would join the fleet around 2010.
"The nearest-term need is ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], then SEAD and strike," says John Kitowski, UAV integrated product team lead at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "The few ISR and BDA aircraft the navy has are in high demand." The company's MRE-C04 concept is a large carrier-based URAV capable of remaining in station for over 10h carrying a 900kg (2,000lb) payload. Destroyer-based rotary-wing designs were also studied.
After losing the UCAV competitions to Boeing and Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin turned to URAVs. "Our focus near-term is on ISR. We are still developing technologies to stay in the hunt for UCAVs, maybe second generation," says Kitowski. Opportunities include a potential USAF need for a penetrating high-altitude endurance URAV similar to the cancelled Lockheed Martin/Boeing Dark Star. This would be a precursor to the SensorCraft ISR UAV being studied by the USAF Research Laboratory.
The company is also eyeing the target systems market. "We are searching for commonality in technologies between URAVs, UCAVs and targets," he says. Under the USAF's Target 21 programme, Lockheed Martin did a feasibility study into a replacement for the McDonnell Douglas F-4-based QF-4 target drone. It proposed a "QF-16" version of its F-16 and a lower cost clean-sheet design, says Kitowski.
Source: Flight International
