Viability of Unmanned Aircraft Replacing Manned Aircraft
The purpose of this research is to determine the usability of unmanned systems in place of manned systems in specific situations. We will find an alternative to manned systems for various objectives that could be replaced by unmanned systems. We will provide justification as to why the mission or task could be better fulfilled by an unmanned system. We will determine the category of unmanned system then we will look at the type of each system for each situation. Examples of situations in which we would look into using unmanned systems instead of manned systems are: monitoring volcanic activity, search and rescue in Yosemite National Park, search and rescue in the Florida Everglades, hurricane monitoring, and apple orchard monitoring.
Unmanned Systems Mission Selection Breakdown
In a comparison of manned and unmanned systems, we must focus on simplicity and safety. If we remove the pilot or operator, we can take advantage of the lack of human factors that can affect manned systems. This can include life support systems and augmented crews. If we allow operators on the ground to fly the system, we can take advantage of multiple crews. This gives the potential to remove standard life support systems and focus on the mission and the aircraft itself.
Volcanic Activity Monitoring
Monitoring volcanic activity can be dangerous. The risk of having the volcano either erupt or spew volcanic lava or ash towards an aircraft is real. A photographer over Reunion Island stated, “It was so hot, you could feel the heat in your face the entire time - the entire shot took a lot of concentration as one wrong move and the helicopter - or even myself - could have ended up dead.” (Fediow, 2016) To replace helicopters with a pilot and observers, I would implement the use an sUAS with 6 or more motors. The more motors the sUAS carries, the more equipment it would be able to carry over the volcano. “A hexacopter has more load-carrying capacity than a quadcopter. Thus, you can attach more payload to it than a quadcopter.” (Smashing, 2015)
Search and Rescue
Search and rescue operations are another area that unmanned systems exceed expectations when compared to manned systems. “A UAV “can search a very large area very accurately and quickly,” said Todd Sedlak, director of sales and flight operations and small UAS subject matter expert for Detroit Aircraft.” (Steen, 2014) When you need to get an aircraft in the air and overhead in a hurry, having an sUAS available is literally a lifesaver. Whether you are searching in Yosemite National Park or the Florida Everglades, the answer is very clear. I know from experience that it takes time and effort to spin up aircraft to get them overhead in a hurry. If I have an airplane type sUAS I can drive out to an area in a truck and launch the system by myself or with a small crew. “There’s no question that drones have become a proven tool in the SAR field. They can collect high-quality data doing logistical legwork for rescue workers, and in two recent cases, they have actually saved lives.” (Hodapp, 2015)
Hurricane Hunters
Hurricane hunting has long been a job done by the C-130 Hercules. I would recommend a large UAS to replace the current C-130 fleet. Due to recent technologies and breakthroughs, this job is now being supplemented by a NASA RQ-4 Global Hawk! “The surveillance drones, America’s largest, fly in the calmer altitudes of around 60,000 feet above the ground, where they can wait for over a day, cameras pointed down, watching. The same characteristics that make a Global Hawk a useful tool of war against insurgents also lend its power as a storm watcher.” (Atherton, 2016) The Global hawk has no crew limitations when it comes to the safety of the aircraft. It is also able to avoid most of the weather by flying 60,000 feet. “The [unmanned aircraft systems] are a great addition to the fleet, as it allows us to get an airborne asset in areas where it is too dangerous, too difficult, or too expensive to get a manned aircraft.” (Lafarence, 2016) The Global Hawk is a proven system to date that can get where it needs to be and stay there monitoring for hours without taking breaks.
Agriculture
Rice paddy and apple orchard monitoring will have the same aspects when it comes to monitoring the growth of your crops. I would recommend an sUAS quadcopter type system to do this job. “By collecting more and more data on crops and growing conditions, yields can not only be controlled but predicted. This data enables farmers to access accurate information on growing conditions so they can implement changes to increase yields.” (Chandigarh,2016) Using a quadcopter system would allow for farmers to launch the device alone and send them to any corner of their crop expeditiously. The system could record everything it sees and comes back. The farmer then can review the data and see where he should focus his attention or if the crop is ready to be harvested. This is much better than using a manned system for many reasons. One of which is cost. An initial investment into a drone can be steep with a price tag as large as $30,000, however, the costs are quickly recovered from the data that is collected. “…from identifying insect problems, watering issues, assessing crop yields or tracking down cattle that have wandered off — help farmers recover the investment, often within a year.” (Doering, 2014)
Intelligence, Surveillance, & Reconnaissance and Strike
Dropping bombs from aircraft takes a lot of coordination. When comparing manned versus unmanned you have to dig a little deeper. Manned aircraft have the ability to get overhead and have human eyes on the target to make a quick decision and return to base. This is not the type of mission being flown in North Africa. The missions flown against Boko Haram are long and tedious due to the area in which they are operating. These missions require continuous surveillance and the ability to strike after watching a target for 20 hours nonstop. The vehicle I would recommend for this job is a fixed-wing UAV like the MQ-9 Reaper. “The four drones, which can carry out surveillance missions in rotation 24 hours a day, allow U.S. intelligence analysts to gather detailed information about Boko Haram’s movements, bomb-making factories, and military camps..” (Hammer, 2016) Nonstop coverage allows us to monitor and strike whenever required in the training camps. If we were to use manned aircraft, we would have to worry about crew duty day for the operators on the aircraft which is normally 12 hours. “..these capabilities could significantly reduce the number of military personnel or manned assets needed to perform complex military missions..”(Hurst, 2016)
Powerline Inspection
High voltage powerline inspection can be dangerous. Due to the live nature of most powerlines, it can be dangerous for manned aircraft to fly near them. They are essentially invisible to the naked eye, especially from above. I would recommend using an sUAS that is a quadcopter type to do this job. “By using UAVs we turn a job that takes weeks to complete into a one that is finished in just a few days. Another benefit is the decreased exposure of staff to dangerous environments.” (Darling, 2016) Another reason to use it compared to manned aircraft is cost. It cost much less to send out an sUAS out compared to spinning up a manned aircraft and flying it from the airport over to the powerlines and observe them.” From an operational standpoint, the initial capital investment is high, but the long term costs are low.” (Mcaster, 2016)
References
Atherton, K. D. (2016, August 30). NASA Spy Drone Catches Tropical Storm Turning Into A Hurricane. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.popsci.com/global-hawk-catches-tropical-storm-turning-into-hurricane
Chandigarh, V. C. (2016, September 18). Drone: The farm multiplier. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sunday-special/kaleidoscope/drone-the-farm-multiplier/296851.html
Darling G. (n.d.). UAV Power Line Inspection Services. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.darlingltd.com/uav-power-line-inspection.html
Doering, C. (2014, March 23). Growing use of drones poised to transform agriculture. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/23/drones-agriculture-growth/6665561/
Fediow, W. (2016, June 2) 'It's dangerous that's why I like it' Helicopter flies over erupting volcano. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/676156/-dangerous-helicopter-flies-erupting-volcano-reunion-island-piton-de-la-fournaise
Hammer, J. (2016, February 25). The U.S. Extends Its Drone War Deeper Into Africa With Secretive Base. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from https://theintercept.com/2016/02/25/us-extends-drone-war-deeper-into-africa-with-secretive-base/
Hodapp, P. (2015, December 15) Search and Rescue Teams Aim to Save Lives with Off-the-Shelf Drones. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://makezine.com/2015/12/15/search-and-rescue-teams-aim-to-save-lives-off-the-shelf-drones/
Hurst, J. (2016, August 25). Intervention and the Looming Choices of Autonomous Warfighting. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://warontherocks.com/2016/08/intervention-and-the-looming-choices-of-autonomous-warfighting/
Lafarence, A. (2016, September 15). When Hurricane Hunters Are Replaced by Drones. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/09/when-hurricane-hunters-are-replaced-by-drones/500093/
Mcaster, R. (2016, March 18). The future of high-tension power line inspections using UAS. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://dronecoalition.net/general/the-future-of-high-tension-power-line-inspections-using-uas/#!leisure
Osborn, K. (2016, September 13). Air Force Drones Bust Ocean Drug Smugglers. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1705799-air-force-drones-bust-oc ean-drug-smugglers
Petosky, E. (2009, May 05). Global Hawk flying mapping missions south of border. Retrieved September 18, 2016, from http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/120421/global-hawk-flying-mapping-missions-south-of-border.aspx
Smashing D. (2015, October 21) Hexacopters, Quadcopters and Octocopters – What is the Difference?. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://smashingdrones.com/hexacopters-quadcopters-and-octocopters-what-is-the-difference/
Steen, Margaret. (2014, November 12) Are Unmanned Aircraft a Savior or Threat? Retrieved September 16, 2016 from http://www.emergencymgmt.com/safety/Unmanned-Aircraft-Savior-Threat.html