Unmanned Systems and the Future of War

[rangerrebew]

 
Unmanned Systems and the Future of War
5/28/2021
By Sebastian Viscuso

 
In 2005, Vice Adm. Lowell E. Jacoby, then director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, noted in his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee that “lethal unmanned aerodynamic vehicles are expected to pose an increased threat to deployed U.S. and allied forces in various regions.”

Jacoby predicted that not only would autonomous systems proliferate among U.S. allies, but also amongst potential competitors and pose a threat to friendly forces in the battlespace. His words were prophetic.

Largely through its vast oil resources and geopolitical positioning, Azerbaijan integrated advanced unmanned aerial systems into its operations against Armenia during the Second Nagorno Karabakh War, which took place Sept. 27 to Nov. 10 last year. Retired Marine Corps Maj. Brandon Tattersall, senior analyst at Insitu, noted “Azerbaijan has been able to invest in [UAS], precision guided munitions, loitering munitions” and various other systems due to its oil revenues and its special relationship with Turkey.

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/5/28/unmanned-systems-and-the-future-of-war

[AARguy]

What an interesting subject! The deployment of UxV's (Unmanned "x" Vehicles, "x" being surface, aerial or subsurface) is indeed changing the landscape. Most are still still not "autonomous" but remained tethered to a ground operator. ASince Iran compromised the ground/air link of a Predator and landed it within Iraq, however, the trend is towards "autonomy" so that a UxV can make its own decisions about modifying routes, mission and even when to fire if it is armed. These are complex issues. The recent Army/Marine Corps decisions to terminate armor forces and replace them with lighter, faster vehicles which control large numbers of UxV's and which may be, themselves, unmanned shows how revolutionary and significant these changes really are. The effect of offensive UxV forces is only limited by the "mission package" a UxV can carry. Guns? Bombs? Laser designators? Jammers? CHAMP?
Which brings us to defense. CHAMP (the portable EMP generator built by Boeing) may be the best defens e against enemy UxV's. It may ground them altogether, along with aircraft and missiles.
Wow... I'm looking for this thread to go wild!
Thanks for the post!