Expendable Remotely Piloted Vehicles for Strategic Offensive ...

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Page2 Significant Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 US Army Air Forces/US Air Force Bomb Tonnage Statistics for Four Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274 US Army Air Forces/US Air Force Combat SortieStatistics for Four Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Bombing Accuracy for Four Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Remotely Piloted Vehicle Advantages andDisadvantages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42iv
AbstractThe future holds an accelerating ascent of changes, technological advancements,and potential threats never before imagined just a decade ago. Many lessonsof the past may no longer apply to the vastly different conditions of the future.However, past experiences provide the foundation from which we canundertake rational leaps of visionary faith. Hopefully, these attempts will landon firm ground to reveal accessible approaches to meet future challenges. Militaryvisionaries must have open minds to explore new ways of applying the militaryinstrument of power. The United States can no longer simply adapt to thechanging environment with belated upgrades to existing military systems andstrategies. In order to remain the world’s greatest superpower, America’s leadersmust be openly aggressive in the pursuit for operational and organizational innovations.This study analyzes the concept of using expendable remotely piloted vehicles(RPV) for strategic offensive airpower. The author first outlines the historicalbase of the larger category of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The assessmentof this background is that limited UAV development is primarily due to circumstantialhistorical events, including lack of user support, as opposed to technologicalrestraints. Second, the author addresses strategic offensive airpower.Airpower provides unique advantages to a strategic offensive force. Likewise, unmannedaircraft can provide unique advantages as an integral part of this force.Following the historical base and strategic offensive airpower areas, the writerlooks into the expendability aspect of RPVs. The finding is that “one-use, throwaway”RPVs offer many viable advantages to supplement existing strategic offensiveairpower means. Finally, the author presents a notional scenario involvingconceptual expendable RPVs. This scenario provides one theoretical exampleas to how future forces could employ and control RPVs in a strategic attack. Theoverall purpose of this paper is to not only highlight the author’s concept of futureunmanned aircraft but to also encourage pursuit into all areas that maypossess the potential to advance airpower.v
Page 1 and 2: Expendable Remotely PilotedVehicles
Page 3: ContentsChapterDISCLAIMER . . . . .
Page 7 and 8: AcknowledgmentsI thank all the stud
Page 9 and 10: aircraft. Incorporating the added d
Page 11 and 12: UAVs were more easily defined when
Page 13 and 14: Chapter 4 answers the question: Why
Page 15 and 16: Chapter 2History and BackgroundWe h
Page 17 and 18: The Wright brothers are deservedly
Page 19 and 20: aerial bombs), the British took the
Page 21 and 22: UAVs during World War II to a few g
Page 23 and 24: On 27 October of that year, another
Page 25 and 26: United States to look beyond reconn
Page 27 and 28: ary 1996, Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, A
Page 29 and 30: 29. Shaker and Wise, 28.30. Michael
Page 31 and 32: Chapter 3Strategic Offensive Airpow
Page 33 and 34: ombs, as well as a high sortie rate
Page 35 and 36: It thus follows that future air cam
Page 37 and 38: possible for small formations to ac
Page 39 and 40: spite the successes, it is easily p
Page 41 and 42: The transmissions used by a control
Page 43 and 44: 33. Air Force Scientific Advisory B
Page 45 and 46: diverted 75 percent of its B-29s aw
Page 47 and 48: Table 6Remotely Piloted Vehicle Adv
Page 49 and 50: million dollars each. The unit flya
Page 51 and 52: Relative Ranks for Fewer Design Con
Page 53 and 54: mission) the open bomb bay doors si
Page 55 and 56:
Relative Ranks for Flight Noise Are
Page 57 and 58:
Owens also stated that the military
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All forms of manned and unmanned ai
Page 61 and 62:
Relative Ranks for Reliability Area
Page 63 and 64:
KEY: ● Major Advantage Counterba
Page 65 and 66:
7. “Report: Military Crashes Down
Page 67 and 68:
62. McGonigle, 34.63. Ibid., 33.64.
Page 69 and 70:
expendable RPVs, American political
Page 71 and 72:
cybornaut activates engine thruster
Page 73 and 74:
Chapter 6ConclusionConstant evaluat
Page 75:
one role. A countless combination o
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Expendable Remotely Piloted Vehicles for Strategic Offensive ...

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