Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or UAS, is a term that is often conflated with the term UAV. In reality, these two acronyms mean two different things. Knowing the difference allows you to better understand different unmanned aircraft platforms that are in use today, including how powerful they are.
UAS Explained
Contrary to popular belief, Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles aren’t synonymous. UAVs refer to the unmanned platform, a specific aircraft that is being employed in the field. An MQ-9 Reaper is a UAV platform.
On the other hand, UAS represents the entire system that includes a UAV, but also the operator who is controlling the aircraft from a remote command station that can be located in or far away from the theater of operation. The term UAS also includes the entire network and logistics put in place to allow for the operator to control the UAV. All in all, UAVs are a part of a much larger system that is known as UAS.
Capabilities of Modern UAS
Modern UAS have come a long way. Their capabilities have not only improved but they were also demonstrated in real-life combat situations. The proliferation of UAS applications on the modern battlefield has been widespread among state actor forces as well as irregular forces. The drones are a serious force multiplier on the battlefield, whether it’s a state-of-the-art UCAV or a commercial drone repurposed for ISR by non-state actors.
The power of UAS comes from its flexibility. The team at https://cp-aeronautics.com/ and other companies who produce unmanned aircraft systems have enabled their operators to employ these platforms in various configurations. Initially, most UAS were used as ISR platforms. They had superior time on target compared to most conventional solutions and were much cheaper to operate.
Surveying the battlespace and being the eye in the sky was soon complemented by offensive UAS. Namely, larger platforms such as the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk are capable of delivering substantial payloads across vast distances. Being such a flexible platform meant that battlefield commanders could plan out operations without having substantially limited CAS or ISR windows.
Loitering UAS
One of the latest innovations in the world of UAS is loitering munitions. No longer are UAVs treated as weapons platforms. Instead, they are now weapons themselves. The UAV technology has advanced to a point where it is feasible to sacrifice the entire vehicle to destroy a target. Such a shift in UAV methodology is partially attributed to cost-efficient propulsion and guidance systems that are now available. Loitering munitions also have another dimension to them. Most systems of this kind carry the capability of autonomously operating against certain types of targets.
Some of the most popular loitering munitions of today were developed primarily as SEAD weapons that can be remotely launched into a potential target-rich environment, scan for sources of radar radiation and target said sources without any input from human operators.
In fact, loitering munitions have created a whole new gap in air defense doctrines around the world. Namely, most UAS of this type have a very small footprint — something that can be difficult for long-range SAMs and SHORAD systems to pick up even with the most sensitive radars. It doesn’t help that many such UAS also combine various stealth technologies to shrink that radar signature even more.
Lessons learned in recent conflicts where loitering munitions went against entrenched anti-air batteries have proven fatal for many SAM sites. Needless to say, militaries around the world are scrambling to devise reliable means of countering small, stealthy UAS on the battlefield. Some of these solutions include various laser weapon systems, electronic warfare systems, and more.
Future UAS Designs
The future of UAS is in semi or fully autonomous drone swarms. Such systems are promising to greatly improve both the offensive and reconnaissance capabilities of UAS as a whole. Drone swarms will introduce the next big paradigm shift on the battlefield, and they are all but ready to be rolled out en masse.
Overall, the current UAS is a powerful asset. They are capable of accomplishing a wide range of missions with zero risks to the operator. That being said, UAS isn’t quite ready to replace conventional aircraft in all roles. Just yet. Modern combined arms operations still require the use of piloted aircraft along with UAS. However, it is becoming obvious that UAS will one day make piloted aircraft all but obsolete, both in terms of performance and cost. The lack of a human being behind the stick means that the aircraft can be pushed to its maximum flight envelope with no consequences for the operator.
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