Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles

Military operations since Desert Storm have taken an almost ultramodern style of warfare a step away from the notion of sequential operations of the past, throughout the successful concept of parallel warfare during the Gulf War, toward a transformational strategy of network-centric warfare (NCW) now being adopted by the Department of Defense. The key technologies associated with NCW are information superiority, stealth, precision, engagement, combination of manned and unmanned aerial platforms. Recent events around the world demonstrate the unique capabilities of the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle have triggered a revolution in unmanned aerospace vehicle research. Proponents, including the President of the United States, are touting the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) as the next generation bomber and fighter platform. This paper investigates the feasibility of an unmanned aerial vehicle as an alternative in close air support (CAS) operations. Can an unmanned airplane engage targets in close proximity to friendly troops with the same or better results than a manned aircraft? To better understand the military applications of UCAVs conducting CAS, several areas must be considered doctrine, cost, survivability, distinct capabilities, and demonstrated accuracy.