"We're looking at our next generation Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) more as standard trucks that would be modular and able to be configured to support several possible missions," says Maj. Gen. Tom Andersen, Air Combat Command's director of requirements. "Generally, we're likely to see much less on-board processing. "Also key will be machine-to-machine communications and automated decision making aids so that [information] can be limited to decision quality data. It also will help us with the manpower intensive backend [of RPA operations] if people can limit or automate some of the activity that eats up those manhours."
Upgrades to Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars could turn them into fighter-sized directed energy weapons for both manned and unmanned aircraft.
"An issue with most directed energy concepts is that usually you can't see the [HPM] weapon's point of impact nor the effect on the target," Andersen says. "So how do you boresight that weapon and produce a known effect? Is that effect temporary or permanent? What does the strike planner want and what can he trust? How do you treat it like a real weapon so that the joint force commander knows the capability it will deliver?"
AESA radars also may be the core of a new jammer and self-protection suite similar to the Navy's next-generation jammer program.
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2 comments:
Epaminondas,
Isn't Skynet the name of the computer mainframe that wants to destroy humanity in the Terminator series?
With our current leadership, all sorts of nefarious applications come to mind. I distrust this administration to the degree that I cannot dismiss the possibility they would consider selling this technology to the highest bidder, namely those that would do the US and it's interests the most harm. Did I mention I simply don't trust our president is living up to his oath to protect this nation's citizens from all enemies both foreign and domestic?
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