Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/196923
u unManneD sYsTeMs chase aircraft or through segregation of designated airspace. Military flights have largely taken place either in a combat zone or in specially reserved airspace. But the full integration of UAVs into routine airspace use has not yet occurred. In the United States, Congress has mandated the Federal Aviation Authority to develop the required regulatory framework by 2015. Much work is required to devise the standards and process to certify both the operator and the vehicles, much as is done for piloted flight. Potential roles for UAVs are as varied as human imagination permits. Clearly the most promising roles are related to surveillance. Depending on operating altitude there is a trade-off between resolution and the extent of coverage. At higher altitudes, potential coverage is wider and generally the platform's endurance is longer, affording either persistent attention on a particular target, or coverage of a much wider area. At lower altitudes very precise resolution is more easily available, giving greater detail and establishing patterns of activity that may be required to confirm legitimate targets. Potential sensors include optical, radar, electro-optical, radio, laser, infrared and atmospheric sampling. The Canadian government has been exploring systems based on HALE models, such as Global Hawk, for applications in our high north, where the need is urgent and the potential for aerospace conflicts is much lower. While it seems attractive to arm those surveillance platforms 30 OcTOBer/nOVeMBer 2013 www.vanguardcanada.com that operate in lower altitudes (like the Predator), where weapons could be delivered based on the derived targeting information, I am skeptical that Canada will invest much in this type of capability. It is not a needed capability for domestic defence in Canada and is probably only "nice to have" for our deployed operations. In any event, when we deploy we will do so as part of a coalition, some of whom (especially the U.S.) will have that capability. We have long had the theoretical capacity to procure cruise missiles and have declined to do so. I do not currently see a change of heart in this regard. Lastly, I would observe that the possibility of success in UCAV applications in air-to-air combat seems very remote at present. Ultimately, effectiveness in this realm will require artificial intelligence at a level as yet unknown. Air combat is a personal and creative activity where predictability is a route to certain defeat. Including a remote operator suggests delays that will also inhibit success. This is an elusive goal that will take decades to develop, in my judgement. It is clearly an exciting and challenging future for UAVs and we will watch with great interest just how it all develops. This article is adapted from a paper, The Future of drones in canada, for the cic (http://opencanada.org).