The US Navy is preparing to take the first concrete steps towards defining the requirements for a new medium-altitude, Multi-Role Endurance (MRE) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) capable of being operated from warships.
The USN plans by 7 April to award one or more study contracts to evaluate the risks associated with the programme. Industry bids are due to be submitted by 17 March.
The 12-month studies will help set the requirements for the medium-range UAV and provide system design and definition. The work will identify potential configurations and critical technologies and establish the basing strategy.
System characteristics will be defined as the mission needs statement and concept of operations are written. An analysis of alternatives (AoA) study to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2002 would lead to an operational requirements document establishing the type of air vehicle and the number of UAV systems to be acquired, from 2006.
The MRE is expected to emerge as an organic, endurance UAV, operating from carriers, amphibious warships and smaller warships. Missions would include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, and suppression of enemy air defences. It would also be able to detect mobile targets and attack with a Hellfire-size missile.
One suggestion is that the US Air Force's General Atomics Predator meets the requirement, but USN officials say a navalised Predator would be expensive, complex and heavy. At the same time, the USAF is opposed to relinquishing control of its Predator fleet as part of a joint operation.
Capt Lyn Whitmer, head of the USN UAV project, says the AoA could recommend a variety of options including joint use of the USAF's Predator fleet, USN acquisition of a new medium-altitude endurance UAV, or establishing a joint UAV programme. He says "the AoA would be incomplete if it does not address the doctrinal issues" such as operational control.
• S-TEC Unmanned Technologies and consortium partners TRW and Israel Aircraft Industries have test flown the Sentry HP UAV being offered for the US Army's Maneuver Commander's Tactical competition. The vehicle is an improved version of the existing Sentry UAV.
Source: Flight International
