FLIGHT PATH


COMMANDERS’ EYE IN THE SKY


There has been a great deal of growth in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in theater. Here, a Shadow unmanned aerial system is launched by Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2011. The Shadow offers commanders intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. (Photo by SPC Tobey White.)


based on our best analysis. We might not get it all right, but I can tell you we can’t afford to get it all wrong.”


GROWTH OF


UNMANNED SYSTEMS Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—with


“exponential growth” since the first Raven was sent downrange in 2006—represent some of


Aviation, Phillips said. “The


the major successes of Army ground


brigade commanders, battalion com- manders, [and] company commanders have learned how to use UAVs in a most extraordinary way to extend their ability to achieve situational awareness on the battlefield,” he said.


The next big step for UAVs is to fly in the national


airspace. The Army cur-


rently flies UAVs in restricted areas over each major installation, with the excep- tion of Fort Hood, TX, said COL Patrick Tierney, Director of Army Aviation, DA Aviation Directorate.


The Army is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)


148 to fly


within national airspace, which requires a risk assessment and an FAA certifica- tion of authorization. Such authorization would allow for more home station train- ing


with UAVs rather than making


Soldiers leave home station, Tierney said. The Army is requesting a certificate of authorization for Fort Stewart, GA.


While some may criticize the FAA for moving slowly through the


tion process, Crosby said it is necessary to ensure the population’s safety, which is the FAA’s main priority.


“This is the first time we’re talking about flying unmanned systems over populated areas. We can’t afford to get this wrong,” Crosby said. “We need to take the time and do the due diligence … because if we have an incident because we rushed to do this so we could be more efficient and faster, we could really set ourselves back.”


THE FUTURE


“Most Army helicopters will be out- dated by 2040 regardless of how many upgrades or how much money is


authoriza-


brought into existing platforms,” Crutch- field noted.


Drawing on the past 10 years of conflict to set a path for the next 20 years, Army Aviation is outlining


requirements


future vertical lift (FVL) and the Armed Aerial Scout.


Crutchfield said that his goal was to have a more refined list of attributes for FVL in time for the Army Aviation Association of


for


America Professional


Forum and Exposition in Nashville, TN, April 1-4, where the release of the Army Aviation 2030 Vision Paper was also scheduled to take place. He said the desired attributes for FVL include range, speed, reduced logistical footprint, improved maintainability, and lower cost. (See related article on Page 34.)


In terms of the Armed Aerial Scout, “this is our chance to get this right,” Phillips said. “We do have choices, and there haven’t been any decisions that have been made at this point. The Army’s keep- ing its options open as it looks at what


Army AL&T Magazine


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