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The Changing Face of Airborne Surveillance and Reconnaissance |
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Source: Frost & Sullivan; issued Jan. 27, 2003
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The U.S. Air Force just lost a high value reconnaissance asset on January 26. The U-2S is a high altitude, long endurance, multi-sensor surveillance and reconnaissance (SR) platform, built by Lockheed Martin that has been in the U.S. inventory since 1956. It provides a variety of intelligence including electronic intelligence (ELINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), photographic intelligence (PHOTINT) and electro-optic and infrared imaging intelligence (IMINT). It has seen service over the Soviet Union, Cuba and the Middle East.
The loss of this aircraft could, however, be a catalyst for changes in the airborne SR arena. As a high value reconnaissance asset, the U-2S, like the Boeing RC-135 and Lockheed Martin P-3C/EP-3E, is a limited asset. All of the platforms are beginning to show their age and will need to be replaced within the next decade. The problem facing these grand aircraft is funding.
While DoD funding has seen recent increases in general, airborne SR has exhibited a decline. The Frost and Sullivan World Airborne Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems Report, due to be available in the first week of February, shows that for the period from 2003-2008, airborne SR in the U.S. DoD budget is expected to see a decline in CAGR of 0.9 percent. This is largely because funding for airborne SR platform replacements will not become a factor in the budget until the latter part of the decade. Other developments in airborne SR could also cause changes that will affect the future of manned airborne SR assets.
The continuing success of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is increasing the acceptability of these assets as a battlespace force multiplier. UAVs have shown their usefulness as SR assets and have even successfully engaged targets with weapons. The military is adapting to the idea of expanding the UAV's role.
EADS and Northrop Grumman are developing the EuroHawk UAV that is designed to perform the functions of manned platforms. The EuroHawk, based on the Global Hawk, would have an uplink/downlink system that would provide a ground station with the controls for conducting the SR mission. This is similar to the U-2S, which has been using this type of technology for some time.
The success of the Eurohawk as a multi-sensor SR collection platform could significantly alter the current mix of platform-based collection systems. If the Eurohawk can be built for significantly less than a manned asset while doing the same job, it is conceivable that a U.S. version could follow.
-ends-
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