UNIT 4

UAVs

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READING

TEXT 1. WHAT IS AN UAV?

The UAV is an acronym for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which is an aircraft with no pilot on board.
UAVs can be remote controlled aircraft (e.g. flown by a pilot at a ground control station) or can
fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation
systems. UAVs are currently used for a number of missions, including reconnaissance and attack
roles. To distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as being capable of controlled,
sustained level flight and powered by a jet or reciprocating engine. In addition, a cruise missile
can be considered to be a UAV, but is treated separately on the basis that the vehicle is the
weapon. The acronym UAV has been expanded in some cases to UAVS (Unmanned Aircraft
Vehicle System).

Officially, the term 'Unmanned Aerial Vehicle' was changed to 'Unmanned Aircraft System' to
reflect the fact that these complex systems include ground stations and other elements besides
the actual air vehicles. The term UAS, however, is not widely used as the term UAV has become
part of the modern lexicon.

The military role of UAV is growing at unprecedented rates. Rapid advances in technology and
weapons are enabling more and more capability to be placed on smaller airframes which is
promoting a large increase in the number of SUAS being deployed on the battlefield. The use of
SUAS in combat is so new that no formal DoD wide reporting procedures have been established
to track SUAS flight hours. As the capabilities grow for all types of UAV, nations continue to
subsidize their research and development leading to further advances enabling them to perform
a multitude of missions. UAV no longer only perform intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance (ISR) missions, although this still remains their predominant type. Their roles
have expanded to areas including electronic attack (EA), strike missions, suppression and/or
destruction of enemy air defense (SEAD/DEAD), network node or communications relay, combat
search and rescue (CSAR), and derivations of these themes. These UAV range in cost from a few
thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars, and the aircraft used in these systems range in
size from a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) weighing less than one pound to large aircraft weighing over
40,000 pounds.

UAV Types

Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy
aircraft or missile

Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence

Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk missions (see Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle)

Research and development - used to further develop UAV technologies to be integrated into
field deployed UAV aircraft

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EXERCISE 1. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW

1. UAVs…

a) Are always directed by a ground station

b) Do not need a pilot, even on the ground
c) Need to be remotely controlled
d) All options are correct

2. UAVs

a) Can be used for multiple missions

b) Have two roles: reconnaissance and attack
c) Are mainly used for striking missions
d) Can be used as a missile

3. Which statement is right?

a) Any missile can be considered a UAV

b) Any missile can sometimes be considered a UAV
c) A ballistic missile can be considered a UAV
d) A missile can be considered a UAV (tricky, explain diff btwn any and a)

4. Which statement is true?

a) A UAS is more complex than a UAV

b) A UAV has a UAS embedded
c) A UAV has a ground station as a communication node
d) A UAV is a compound unit with different elements

5. Nowadays

a) The term UAS has become very popular

b) The term UAV is increasingly being used all over
c) People will start using the term UAV in their daily vocabulary
d) All options are wrong

6. The acronym SUAS, most likey, stands for…

a) Static Unmanned Aerial System

b) Strike Unmanned Aerial System
c) Synthetic Unmanned Aerial System
d) Surface Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

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TEXT 2. UAVs. Degree of Autonomy

Some early UAVs are called drones because they are no more sophisticated than a simple radio
controlled aircraft being controlled by a human pilot (sometimes called the operator) at all
times. More sophisticated versions may have built-in control and/or guidance systems to
perform low level human pilot duties such as speed and flight path stabilization, and simple
prescripted navigation functions such as waypoint following.

From this perspective, most early UAVs are not autonomous at all. In fact, the field of air vehicle
autonomy is a recently emerging field, whose economics is largely driven by the military to
develop battle ready technology for the warfighter. Compared to the manufacturing of UAV
flight hardware, the market for autonomy technology is fairly immature and undeveloped.
Because of this, autonomy has been and may continue to be the bottleneck for future UAV
developments, and the overall value and rate of expansion of the future UAV market could be
largely driven by advances to be made in the field of autonomy.

To some extent, the ultimate goal in the development of autonomy technology is to replace the
human pilot. It remains to be seen whether future developments of autonomy technology, the
perception of the technology, and most importantly, the political climate surrounding the use
of such technology, will limit the development and utility of autonomy for UAV applications.

Under the NATO standardization policy 4586 all NATO UAVs will have to be flown using the
Tactical Control System (TCS) a system developed by the software company Raytheon.

EXERCISE 2. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. TRY TO BE AS BRIEF A POSSIBLE. THEN,

YOU CAN DISCUSS YOUR ANSWERS.

What is the difference between a drone and a UAV?

Why is the field of autonomy considered to be a bottleneck?

What is the main factor that may limit the development of autonomy technology?

What is the link between NATO and Raytheon?

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 MWIR DOME

TEXT 3. IRANIAN LEADER KILLED BY DRONE ATTACK

The recent killing of senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani has been widely reported as
conducted by an MQ-9 Reaper drone. But what does such an operation actually involve? While
the ultimate decision to carry out the attack has clearly been placed with the Trump
administration, much of the reporting and commentary has still bought into the misleading idea
that drones enable instant killing using machines that take away the risks and responsibilities of
warfare from military personnel.

The US and other militaries that use attack drones are generally very secretive about their
operations, adding to the lingering false perceptions. As such, no official statements have
confirmed the use of the Reaper in this instance, although several reports include quotes from
unnamed government sources that do so. However, a drone strike seems likely in this case
because of the precise nature of the attack, and the Reaper is the only publicly known attack
drone now operated by the US military.

I spent two years working with two RAF Reaper squadrons to research the people who fly this
aircraft. This included watching real-time lethal strikes alongside crews at Creech Air Force Base
and RAF Waddington. It also included 90 interviews with people who work with Reapers. Based
on what I learnt, here are the key things you need to know about how such an attack would
probably play out, and the importance of understanding the role of human military operators.

First, Reapers aren’t launched at the touch of a button from thousands of miles away. It takes
up to two seconds for a satellite control signal to reach a Reaper on another continent, so such
a delay would cause crashes on take-off or landing.

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Instead, the Reaper has to be taken off within the line of sight of a nearby launch and recovery
pilot. This happens in or near the location where the drone’s mission will take place. Once the
Reaper is safely airborne, control can be transferred to a crew thousands of miles away.

One report claimed that the drone used in the Soleimani killing “was overhead Baghdad airport”
when its missile was launched. True, Soleimani was killed at Baghdad airport and a Reaper may
have been orbiting the target area. But Hellfire missiles are not fired straight downwards, and
nor does a Reaper hover like a helicopter or the smaller DJI Phantom drone.

The Reaper is an aircraft with a 20-metre wingspan. It is piloted using flight control surfaces like
flaps and ailerons, which are moved via satellite signal. For a successful missile firing, the Reaper
needs to be up to a few kilometres away from its target and then pointed towards it to create
the right firing angle. The missiles typically take around 30 seconds to hit their target, depending
on the launch height and distance.

Once a target is identified, it’s up to the human operators to launch the attack. Reapers are not
autonomous, decision-making weapon systems that select victims or choose how and when to
kill them. Soleimani was killed by a Hellfire laser-guided missile that may have come from a
drone, but it would have been fired by a pilot in a ground control station located in the US.

Each missile would then have been guided by a sensor operator onto Soleimani’s car or his escort
vehicle. This represents the final stage in a highly human operation. Sometimes we get the
impression that the drone does it all. It doesn’t.

EXERCISE 3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. (From paragraph 1),the idea that drones enable instant killing using machines that take
away the risks and responsibilities of warfare from military personnel is…
a) A fact
b) Wrong
c) Granted
d) Refused by politicians

2. The use of the US drone “Reaper” in 3. The author

the attack… a) Has worked with two Reapers
a) Has been confirmed b) Was interested in the human
b) Looks like the only possible side of a process
option c) Had to travel a lot to conduct
c) Has been confirmed by US and his research
other militaries d) All options are correct
d) Cannot be taken as a fact

4. A Reaper takes off commanded…

a) By a control center thousands of miles away
b) Using a line from a centre
c) By a pilot quite close to aircraft
d) By a satellite signal

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 5. Assuming that the Hellfire missile was launched from the Reaper, then we could say
that:
a) The drone was above Baghdad Airport when the missile was launched
b) The missile was fired by the drone itself
c) The missile was launched some kilometers away from the airport
d) The missile hit the target in 30 seconds

TEXT 4. SPAIN BUYS TWO MQ-9 BLOCK 5 REAPER DRONES

Spain plans to purchase two General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Block 5 Reapers for
$34 million via the US foreign military sales process.

The acquisition also provides for associated equipment, presumably ground control stations,
spares and support equipment. The unmanned air vehicles are expected to be completed by 31
March 2020, according to a US Defense Department contract notice online.

The US State Department approved the sale of four MQ-5 Block 5 Reapers to Spain for $243
million in 2015. That deal would have included 20 embedded global positioning system and
inertial guidance units, two mobile ground control stations, five multi-spectral targeting systems
and five synthetic aperture radars. Also proposed was contractor logistics support for two years
and personnel training, as well as aircraft components, spares and accessories.

At the time, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency determined the sale would
enhance the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability of the Spanish
military.

“Commonality of ISR capabilities increases interoperability between US and Spanish forces and
provides a common interface with other MQ-9 NATO operators, including the United Kingdom,
France and Italy,” said the agency’s notice. “The Spanish Air Force intends to use the MQ-9s for
homeland security, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, counterinsurgency, and
counterterrorism operations. The proposed sale improves Spain's ability to meet current and
future threats by providing improved ISR coverage that promotes increased battlefield
situational awareness, anticipates enemy intent, augments combat search and rescue, and
provides ground troop support.”

Spain is the latest European NATO country to sign up for General Atomics’ drones. Also in March
2019, Belgium gained State Department approval for a potentially $600 million acquisition of
four MQ-9B SkyGuardians and the Royal Netherlands Air Force signed a $123 million contract to
buy four MQ-9 Block 5 Reapers.

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EXERCISE 4. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. What has most likely Spain

purchased? (look also text 1 for 3. In Spain, the UAVs will not be used
reference) for…
a) UAVs a) Peacekeeping
b) UASs b) Counterterrorism
c) 5 MQ-9 c) Training
d) A 34 million dollar contract d) ISR

2. Apparently, on the final contract, 4. Which other European countries

Spain… have already MQ-9 assets?
a) Wanted to spend less money a) Belgium and Italy
b) Tried to increase the quality of b) France and the Netherlands
the units c) Uk and France
c) Suffered from budget cut-offs d) Italy, France and Belgium
d) Cancelled the multi-spectral
targeting systems

TEXT 5. IT IS NOT A VIDEO GAME

This is important to understand because drones are often portrayed as turning killing “into a
video game”. But that’s not an accurate analogy.

At a purely ergonomic level, the controls of an MQ-9 Reaper drone are actually neither as
sophisticated nor as sensitive as state-of-the-art gaming controllers. The MQ-1 Predator, on
which the MQ-9 Reaper is based, was rushed into service after 9/11 and typical military aircraft
testing and development was not carried out because of time constraints. As a result, the
controls were not developed to be as user-friendly as they will be in the Reaper’s successors.

More important is the human dimension. When Reaper crews have followed someone for days
or weeks, their target is not just pixels on a screen but a living human being. Operators watch
targets spend time with family and friends and even playing with their children.

Crews, commanders and image analysts also continue to watch from above after a missile or
bomb strike, conducting battle damage assessment. They see the bits of bodies being collected
and taken for burial. They see grieving, devastated family members. And they know it is no game
with a reset button.

As a result, operating a drone carries real risks. For one thing, terrorists have tried to target
Reaper pilots and published a hit-list. But more prevalent is the psychological risk in repeatedly
witnessing traumatising events and lethal strikes in close-up detail. A senior Reaper commander
has described the impact of this as “far greater than it ever was with a manned cockpit”. These
psychological effects are not yet fully understood but the risk is there.

As one sensor operator I interviewed said: “If anybody on the Reaper fleet says it doesn’t affect
them, then they’re lying. It does. It has to.”

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Remotely piloted aircraft like the Reaper will provide key air force capabilities for generations
to come. For people to debate this technology in a useful way, they need to know what they can
and cannot do. And understand that their governments are not using autonomous drones to kill
random victims. Human operators are making life-and-death decisions with huge consequences
for everyone involved.

EXERCISE 5. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

What is the main topic of the text?

Why do crews keep on watching at the video after an attack has occurred?

What does it need to be done in the future in order to use the Reaper as a key air force asset?

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LISTENING
AUDIO 1. Part 1. UAVs PERFORMANCE

EXERCISE 1

1. How can a drone intervene on the

battlefield today?
5. The ELBIT HERMES 900…
a) Directly
a) Can fly for more than 36 hours
b) Indirectly
b) Has two engines
c) a) and b) are correct
c) Has a cruise speed of 220 km
d) By shooting missiles from
per hour
another aircraft
d) All options are correct

2. What is the ELBIT HERMES 900

6. The CH5 Rainbow…
designed for?
a) Is not armed
a) High altitude flights
b) Has a cruising speed of 250 km
b) Short endurance
per hour
c) Tactical missions
c) Can fly above 30000 feet
d) Long endurance
d) Is powered by a piston engine

3. What is a role of the ELBIT HERMES

7. For which organization has the Sky
900?
Warrior been developed?
a) Transport pay-loads
a) For General Atomics
b) Communications relay
b) For the U.S. Air Force
c) Striking missions
c) For the U.S. Army
d) Leaflets spreading
d) For the Atomics Q-1C

4. What was the ELBIT HERMES 900

8. About the Sky Warrior, 1633 is the
first mission?
a) Maximum range in km
a) Destroy a building
b) Maximum take off weight in kg
b) Support an attack
c) Maximum speed in km per hour
c) Neutralized terrorist activity
d) Engine horse power
d) Rebuild infrastructure

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AUDIO 1. PART 2. UAVs PERFORMANCE

EXERCISE 2. FILL IN THE BLANKS

And now at no. 7 is the TAI Anka developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries for the requirements
of the Turkish Armed Forces. The vehicle is designed for night and day missions, including
adverse weather conditions. Performs real time image intelligence, surveillance,
reconnaissance, moving and stationary target detection, recognition, identification and
tracking missions.

The vehicle is powered with a single TUSAS Engine Industries ASPD 170 engine which produces
an of 155 H.P. Maximum and cruising speeds of the vehicle are 217 km per
hour and 204 km per hour. It can go up to a maximum range and altitude of about 1448 km and
30000 feet. The is 24 hours with 200 kg useful payload.

At no 6 is the Dassault’s Neuron. This is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle

being developed with international cooperation led by the French company Dassault Aviation.

The unmanned Neuron is controlled from Ground Based Stations and from Control Stations and
combat aircraft such as the French Rafale or the Grippen.

The design goal is to create a UAV that can function in medium to high threat
combat zones. The air vehicle is expected to have an endurance of several hours even though
the specific hours is not shown. It is armed with two 230 kg bombs and has a
maximum take off weight of 6000 kg. It is powered with two Adour MK95-1 jet engines from the
Rolls Royce and Turbomeca joint venture (RRTM). The maximum speed of the aircraft is 980 km
per hour and its service ceiling is nearly 46000 feet.

At no. 5 is the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper. This is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of
remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems for the United States Air Force. The MQ-9 is the first
hunter-killer UAV designed for long endurance high altitude surveillance. It is armed with four
AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, two 230 kg Paveway, two laser-
guided bombs and a 230 kg Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Is powered with a single Honeywell
TPE 33-1-10 engine which produces an output of 900 HP. Maximum take-off
weight is 4760 kg, maximum range is 1900 km, service ceiling is 50000 feet and it has an
endurance of 14 hours. Maximum and cruising speeds of this military drone is 482 km per hour
and 313 km per hour.

At no. 4 is the Boeing X45. This is an unmanned combat air vehicle. A concept demonstrator for
the next generation of completely autonomous military aircraft. Developed by Boeing’s
Phantom Works, it was manufactured by System and is
in service with the United States.

The X-45 is armed with a two weapon base to carry combinations of a Joint Direct Attack
Munitions, small diameter bomb. It has a maximum take-off weight of 2676 kg. Maximum speed
and range are 919 km per hour and 2405 kms. The Boeing X45 is powered with a single
Honeywell F124- GA 100 engine, and it can fly at an altitude of over 40000
feet.

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At no.3 is the General Atomics Avenger or Predator-C. This is a developmental unmanned
combat air vehicle, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the United States Military.
The Predator-C is armed with internal weapons bay with 1600 kgs capacity, six external hard
points. 6500 pounds of payload that include several guided bombs and
Hellfire missiles. Maximum takeoff weight of this vehicle is 8225 kgs, powered with a single Pratt
& Whitney Canada (PW 545 B) and produces 17.75 kilonewtons of thrust. It has a maximum and
cruising speeds of 740 km per hour and 648 km per hour. This military drone has an endurance
of 18 hours and can fly up to a maximum altitude of 15000 feet.

And now, at no. 2 is the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 . This is a high altitude
remotely piloted surveillance aircraft that provides a broad overview and systematic
surveillance using high resolution radar and long range infrared sensors with
long loiter times over target areas. It is operated by the United States Airforce and is used as a
high altitude, long endurance platform covering the spectrum of intelligence collection
capability to support forces and worldwide military operations. The RQ-4 is powered with a
single Rolls-Royce F-137- RR-100 turbofan engine that produces 34 kilonewtons of
.

Maximum and cruising speeds of the aircraft are 629 km per hour and 570 km per hour. It can
fly up to a maximum range and altitude of about 22780 km and 60000 feet. It has more than 32
hours of endurance.

And now, at no. 1 spot is none other than thte Northrop Grumman X-47-B. This a demonstration
unmanned combat aerial vehicle designed for aircraft carrier based operations that was
developed by the American Defense Technology Company Northrop Grumman. The X-47-B first
flew in 2011, and as of 2015 its two active demonstrators have undergone extensive flight and
operational integration testing, having performed a series of land and carrier
based demonstrations. It is armed with two weapon bays, providing for up to 2000 kilograms of
ordnance.

Now let’s look at the overall . This vehicle is powered with a single Pratt &
Whitney F100-220U turbofan, and it has a maximum take-off weight of over 20215 kilograms.
Its maximum and cruise speeds are 1235 km per hour and 1111 km per hour. It can fly up to a
maximum range and altitude of more than 3889 kilometers at 42000 feet.

AUDIO 2 THE SCANEAGLE 3

EXERCISE 3. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. Where was the ScanEagle III introduced?

2. What did the U.S. Department of Defense state about the ScanEagle III?
3. What has significantly increased in the ScanEagle III?
4. Is the autopilot of the UAV a new design?
5. What is streamed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday?

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AUDIO 3 DRONES TODAY

EXERCISE 4.

PART 1. FILL IN THE BLANKS.

PART 2. CHANGE THE MISSING WORD/S FOR A SIMILAR EXPRESSION.

Drones are everywhere. 1 in television, movies,

toys, military, construction, sports, manufacturing…. and more. And the 2
technology, is even more advanced than you know.

The official name for the remote controlled drones we know and love/hate is UAVs or
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, though the military calls them Unmanned Aerial Systems, or UASs.

The word “Drone” implies something which operates 3

, though most military drones or UAVs are simply remote controlled.

The first 4 1 drone was flown in 1994, the Predator

MQ-1, but advances in the last 20 years have been incredible.

Take, for example, the largest drone around today: a 757 – sized UAV 5
1 Triton, operated by the U.S Navy.. Its 130-foot wingspan and fuel
efficiency allow it to fly 2000 nautical miles in a single mission, identify ships, deice its own wings
and navigate turbulence… all without human interaction. The thing can be struck by lightning
and still work.

Most flying drones operate for 20 hours and are pre-programmed to fly to a specific area and
look around, or piloted for a mission by a person in a ground station.

The military controls these giant aircraft from hundreds of miles away via satellite
communications, GPS, and the aircraft’s onboard computers. These combinations of ground and
space-based systems can affect how long information takes to get from the pilot or to the pilot.
Those Predator from the 90s tool as long as five minutes to 6
1 detailed information, making the UAV’s automated system extra
important. But today, the newest drones can provide 360 degrees video view, infrared and radar
date all live.

Most UASs include line – of – sight control for take off and landing, and satellite control during
long flights and missions, which go out of range of a tower or an antenna. Obviously direct
control is faster. Satellites have a 1 second delay… but if somehow the signal is lost from the
human pilot, the drone can be programmed to 7 1
, or return to its take off point. It can even land on its own if it has to.

Drones aren’t only airborne. The drone boat is a true autonomous and artificially intelligent
helper boat. These drone boats are programmed to swarm target, all without human instruction.
They can network with each other, and though they’re unarmed, are supposed to isolate a craft
or intercept enemy fire, all without 8 1 .

Another naval drone uses biomimicry technology to 9

1 a shark or a fish. These drones can operate in 10 inches of water or

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dive down 300 feet, either by 10 1 to a ship or
doing it autonomously, only surfacing to communicate further instructions. They are unarmed,
but key for intelligence gathering.

The future of drones is getting 11 1 crazy. Virtual

reality is coming, where pilots would be able to “look” through cameras and pilot aircraft or
boats like it is a video game (they can look around and inside of the drone).

It’s already come to commercial drones used for like Star Wars style pod-racing games. But the
U.S. Air Force is pulling out all the stops with their “secret” space shuttle. The X-37B launched in
2012 and orbited the earth for 500 days autonomously, returning and landing on its own in 2014.
No one knows what this thing is for but it’s technically a drone and people allegedly spotted
Northrop Grumman flying wings over Texas, a type of aircraft rumored for a long
12 even tested by NASA but still classified
13 .

Drones have advanced so much in the last 20 years, so… what would another twenty do? Are
we going to have them delivering pizzas, filming football games, going to asteroids, flying us
around the globe? Who knows… but one thing is 14
, they are here to stay.

There is something that could dampen drones in our time of course, if the people put their foot
down and stop their use in the military, but it doesn´t seem like that’s going to happen.

That being said, drones are machines. They’re not just for attacking, they’re not good or evil on
their own. 15 1 , plenty of drones are used for
good.

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WRITING
You have learned in this unit that drones can operate on their own (by pre-stablished software)
or controlled by a human. In any case, take-off and landing maneuvers are controlled by a pilot
close to the aircraft (line of sight) for safety reasons.

Now use your imagination. Picture yourself close to the runway. You are looking at an MQ-9
ready for take-off.

Write down your thoughts. Write them down as a composition (not in a bullet format). Imagine
what could have just happened before the MQ-9 is ready for take-off; what do you think it is
happening at the moment; what is going to happen next. Max. 120 words.

SPEAKING

In Listening 1 you have heard about UAVs powered by turboprop and turbofan engines. Explain
the main differences amongst both engines

Do you think that in the next future all aircraft will be remotely controlled? Why?

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