TABLE OF CONTENTS

increase situational awareness for warfighters and decrease reliance on satellites. Based
on China’s demonstration of downing a low-earth orbit satellite, along with the potential
for an array of other ASAT weapons, the US military cannot afford to rely completely on
satellites for beyond-line-of-sight communications.
The military often seeks to “revolutionize” warfighting via cutting-edge
technologies, but in this case, it can gain more by selectively improving existing
technologies to promote autonomy and interoperability with less risk. This survey of 46
unmanned aircraft experts suggests that the kill chain can be accelerated by investing in
autonomous/intelligent control and mobile ad-hoc networks, but the limiting factors will
be 1) the quality of information that the commander receives, and 2) how much that
commander trusts an automated system (cultural mindset). By overcoming both technical
and cultural barriers, the United States can accelerate the kill chain and anticipate enemy
actions instead of reacting to attacks.
Recommendations: 1) Use a combination of military research laboratory studies,
university research grants, corporate development contracts, design competitions, and
international consortia (where appropriate) to generate sophisticated algorithms used for
UA autonomous operations and apply intelligent control as it advances. The military
must provide incentives so that pure research translates into practical military
applications. 2) Use DARPA and other agencies to sponsor conferences and information
sharing on unmanned aircrraft development that spans a variety of disciplines. This
cross-flow of information between disciplines has the potential to promote military
advancements in many areas. 3) Ensure joint requirements shape the research and
development phase to preclude interoperability issues and unwanted duplication. 4)