US Army øker bemannet/ubemannet samarbeid

U.S. Army's 'Bridge' is Modernization, Unmanned Teaming

by Bill Carey

 - February 4, 2015, 10:23 PM

The Army seeks 64 remanufactured AH-64E Apache Guardians in its Fiscal Year 2016 budget request. (Photo: Boeing)

Modernization and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) are the way forward for U.S. Army aviation as the funding-constrained service awaits a next generation helicopter fleet. The Army’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal prioritizes modernization of its Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters to support its planned aviation restructuring initiative (ARI), a reorganization of current assets that involves a helicopter swap with the Army National Guard.

The ARI, which calls for the Guard to transfer its Apaches to active-duty Army units and the Army to send some Black Hawks to the Guard, has proven controversial, and awaits the findings of a National Commission on the Structure of the Army that Congress established in legislation last year. However, one aspect of the ARI is progressing, as the Army retires its fleet of Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance helicopters. In their absence, the service will emphasize MUM-T operations combining AH-64D/E Apache attack helicopters with MQ-1C Gray Eagle and other unmanned aircraft.

“As we divest the Kiowa Warriors as part of the aviation restructuring initiative, [the] manned-unmanned capability is a bridging strategy,” said Col. Jeff White, Army Training and Doctrine Command capability manager for reconnaissance and attack. “We feel it augments the reduction of the Kiowa Warriors.” Apache crews already receive full-motion video from unmanned aircraft; now they are progressing to so-called level of interoperability (LOI) 3 and 4, the ability to first control the sensors and weapons on unmanned aircraft and then the aircraft itself, White said. With MUM-T “we’re just scratching the surface with that additional capability,” he told reporters at a Boeing-sponsored breakfast on January 28.