History of UAS

Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) design has developed tremendously as the evolution of technology has allowed for more capability and reliability.  However, while most early Department of Defense (DOD) publications will refer to the three “D”’s of UAS operations (Dull, Dangerous, Dirty), it is interesting to note that the fourth “D”, known as “deep” or “denied” has long since been part of the DOD operational considerations (OPCONS).  The ability to fly above other countries and survey vital parts of their infrastructure is an important part of national defense.  The AQM 91, designed in the 1960’s, and the current day RQ-4, share that mission of high altitude UAS surveillance. 

The Teledyne Ryan AQM 91 Firefly or Compass Arrow was specifically built and designed for cross border operations into China in the early 1960’s.   To fulfill the requirements, the Firefly was given an operational altitude of 78,000 feet with a mission endurance time of 4.5 hours and range out to 2,000 miles (Military Factory, 2014).  Teledyne Ryan / Ryan Aeronautical produced the AQM91 "Firefly" as a stealth minded, high altitude, photo reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Development began in the late 1960s with the design intended for use by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as well as the United States Air Force (USAF) for secret overflights of Chinese airspace with particular interest given to its growing nuclear sites (Military Factory, 2014).  This initial design used a precision navigation autopilot system that was cutting edge and sophisticated for the 1960’s.  Engineers were able to reduce navigational error to less than 1 percent in operations, but the system proved to be inconsistent and prone to error over time.  By design, the AQM91 was intended for air launching from a host mothership this being a Lockheed DC130E "Hercules" aircraft (a drone controlling variant of the famous transport aircraft) and thusly not fitted with its own launching facility (Military Factory, 2014).  The craft would be recovered utilizing a helicopter and hook recovery system in flight. One can surmise that the majority of the mission was flown autonomously as satellite communications would have been in early developmental stages. A manual override function allowed for ground controllers to assume function as needed (Military Factory, 2014). Its onboard photographic equipment allowed for vast swathes of territory to be photographed from 15 miles up with detail providing clarity down to one foot (Military Factory, 2014).  Real time Full Motion Video (FMV) would also not have been capable in high definition and it is likely that canisters of film were downloaded from the aircraft after recovery, much like the manned U-2 aircraft.

While there are numerous models of UAS that can be compared to the mission of the Firefly it is most easy to relate it to the RQ-4 Global Hawk.  Coincidentally, The Global Hawk was originally designed by unmanned aircraft pioneer Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical, which was bought by Northrop Grumman in 1999 (Rogoway, 2014).  The Global Hawk has seen numerous design revisions to improve upon its initial design.  These are most often referred to as blocks.  The most current design version is Block 40.  The RQ-4A Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system which provides military field commanders with high resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas (Air Force Technology, n.d.).  High-resolution sensors, including visible and infrared electro-optical systems and synthetic aperture radar, will conduct surveillance over an area of 40,000nm² to an altitude of 65,000ft in 24 hours (Air Force Technology, n.d.). The Global Hawk is semi-autonomous, meaning that it still requires occasional commands and cross checking with a team on the ground via a desktop type, and “point to fly here" interface (Rogoway, 2014).  The advent of Global Positioning System along with satellite communications allows for a much more capable and relevant vehicle for today’s operations.  This systems relies on a Ku band satellite data link or a line of sight data link to operate (Rogoway, 2014).  The prime navigation and control system consists of two KN-4072 INS/GPS (inertial navigation system / global positioning system) systems (Air Force Technology, n.d.).  The Global Hawk has a suite of sensors that can be chosen based on mission and aircraft requirements.  Much like the high altitude Firefly, The Global Hawk flies high at a loiter altitude 65,000ft which minimizes exposure to surface-to-air missiles.  The RQ-4 has launch and land capability like normal aircraft and does not require a sophisticated launch and recovery procedure requiring other aircraft support.

While both the Firefly and the Global Hawk both served a vital service in the high altitude “Deep” mission, they are very different due to the advancement of technology.  The initial design of the Firefly was well ahead of itself, but the inability to launch and recover easily made for a troublesome program.  Lack of satellite communications and a GPS made the ability to receive real time FMV impossible, while also creating navigational/control issues.    

    

REFERENCES 

Air Force Technology (n.d.).  RQ-4A/B Global Hawk HALE Reconnaissance UAV, United States of America.  Retrieved from http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/rq4-global-hawk-uav/

Military Factor (2014).  Ryan AQM-91 Firefly / Compass Arrow Reconnaissance Drone (1968).  Retrieved from http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1151

National Museum of the US Air Force (2015, May).  Teledyne-Ryan AQM-91A Compass Arrow.  Retrieved from http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/MuseumExhibits/FactSheets/Display/tabid/509/Article/198027/teledyne-ryan-aqm-91a-compass-arrow.aspx

Rogoway, T. (2014, September).  Why The USAF's Massive $10 Billion Global Hawk UAV Is Worth The Money; Foxtrot Alpha.  Retrieved from http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/why-the-usafs-massive-10-billion-global-hawk-uav-was-w-1629932000