SOLVING the RETROGRADE


RIDDLE


As operations wind down in Afghanistan, opportunity arises for agile acquisition of UAS technology


by Mr. Luis Garcia R


ecent editions of Army AL&T magazine have cited the rapid evolution of combat systems to bolster the argument for a streamlined and dynamic acquisition process. Te 18-month benchmark for technologi-


cal obsolescence has been used, rightly, to justify the search for innovative business practices. However, one need only look to a current edition of any technology or science magazine to understand that perhaps the 18-month rule of thumb no lon- ger applies, nor is it necessarily limited any longer to the world of computer hardware and software.


At the same time, the acceleration of innovation in unmanned aircraft


system (UAS) technology is increasing across the


spectrum of interested parties. From the amateur attempting to weaponize a commercial off–the-shelf (COTS) quadcopter drone to European researchers programming multiple, linked UASs to create an emergency local communications network, no one seems to be waiting for the U.S. Army to lead the way. Te Army’s current operational structure is influenced by a wide variety of potential adversaries employing adapted and readily available technology, often in an asymmetric fashion. By necessity, the Army must maintain technological superiority and do so within the highly regulated DOD acquisition system and restrictive fiscal environment.


128 Army AL&T Magazine October–December 2013


Over the past decade, the Product Manager Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PdM SUAS), assigned to Project Manager (PM) UAS within Program Executive Office Aviation, has surfed the UAS technological wave using traditional acquisition tools. From COTS purchases during the initial stages of the war on terror (e.g., the Raven A) to a successful surge effort during the latter phases of Operation Enduring Freedom (e.g., the gimbaled Raven and Puma), PdM SUAS has been able to gauge well the “next, best thing” for the Soldier in the field. But that wave has crested, offering an opportunity for PdM SUAS to research new, innovative processes to retrofit returning equipment while compressing the traditional acquisition timeline.


THE AGILE FRAMEWORK Accountability, readiness and attrition are common problems facing the largest and smallest of military systems, includ- ing the Raven SUAS. Compounding these fleet management issues for the SUAS world is the additional problem of rapid technological obsolescence. Long recognized as a problem in the software and computer hardware fields, rapid obsolescence of the embedded technology common to military hardware must now be planned for and addressed.


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