Risk Aversion and the Army’s New Tactical Unmanned Aircraft: Buying Technology is One Thing, Being Able to Employ it is Another
Addison McLamb and Tanner Dane | July 20, 2020
Risk Aversion and the Army’s New Tactical Unmanned Aircraft: Buying Technology is One Thing, Being Able to Employ it is Another
The Army is in the midst of a modernization of its fleet of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Among the upgrades it seeks is a replacement for the RQ-7B Shadow. That platform has been a workhorse of the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it was developed in the 1990s, and technology has improved dramatically since then. The UAS modernization initiatives represent an attempt to harness that new technology and leverage it on the future battlefield.
The Army’s main priorities in this acquisition effort seem focused almost exclusively on capability (advancing technical specifications) and portability (enhancing tactical versatility). Making use of better technology is only part of what is required. To maintain ground combat supremacy, the time has come to refine Army regulatory and doctrinal structures for medium-sized, or “tactical†UAS platforms.
https://mwi.usma.edu/risk-aversion-and-the-armys-new-tactical-unmanned-aircraft-buying-technology-is-one-thing-being-able-to-employ-it-is-another/
