How drones are changing national defense: Weapons and Warfare

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

HELLO AND WELCOME TO THIS EDITION OF WEAPONS AND WARFARE. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS I’M RYAN ROBERTSON. 

IF YOU LIKE DRONES, THIS IS THE EPISODE FOR YOU. WE’RE ALL DRONES FROM START TO FINISH. 

JUST AHEAD WE’LL HEAR FROM SOME FORMER AIR FORCE LEADERSHIP AS WELL AS DEFENSE AND SECURITY EXPERTS ON WHAT OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE IS DOING RIGHT, AND WHERE IT NEEDS TO GET BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO DRONES IN THE HANDS OF TODAY’S OPERATORS.

PLUS WE’LL CHECK IN WITH AN ALABAMA STARTUP TAKING ITS EXPERIENCE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE DRONE RACING TO THE MODERN BATTLESPACE.

BUT FIRST, HERE ARE SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED. 

LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER ANNOUNCING THE REPLICATOR INITIATIVE–

THE DOD’S PLAN TO DELIVER “MULTIPLE THOUSANDS” OF “ATTRITABLE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS” ACROSS “MULTIPLE DOMAINS” WITHIN TWO YEARS, THINGS ARE MOVING PRETTY FAST.  

IN MAY WE TOLD YOU HOW AEROVIRONMENT’S SWITCHBLADE 600 LOITERING MUNITION SYSTEM WAS SELECTED FOR TRANCHE 1 OF THE PLAN. WELL NOW THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, KATHLEEN HICKS, HAS CONFIRMED THE FIRST UNMANNED SYSTEMS WERE  DELIVERED TO OPERATORS IN THE FIELD. IN A STATEMENT HICKS SAYS

“Warfighter-centric innovation is not only possible; it’s producing real results. Even as we deliver systems, our end-to-end capability development process continues. Together with the private sector and with support from Congress, the Replicator initiative is delivering capabilities at greater speed and scale while simultaneously burning down risk and alleviating systemic barriers across the department.”

WHILE THE DOD WOULDN’T CONFIRM ANY SPECIFICS ON WHAT SYSTEM WAS DELIVERED, OR TO WHERE IT WAS DELIVERED, THE ARMY PLACED AN ORDER FOR THE SWITCHBLADE 600 IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. SOMETHING A REP FOR AEROVIRONMENT ALLUDED TO WHEN WE CAUGHT UP WITH THEM AT SOF WEEK 2024. 

[Kara Kramer, Dir. of Bussines Dev., AeroVironment]  

“I love that it is available to the warfighter and that they can have it with them when they’re for deployed. And when they’re in distributed operations. They have capability like this ready to use, it saves lives and it brings people home.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE REPLICATOR PROJECT WAS INTRODUCED WITH CHINA IN MIND. AT THE TIME, HICKS SAID THE PLAN IS TO COUNTER THE P-R-C’S NUMERICAL ADVANTAGES, WITH COST-EFFECTIVE INNOVATION AND MASS PRODUCTION. 

UKRAINE’S MILITARY INTELLIGENCE SAYS THEY’VE  DESTROYED TWO RUSSIAN PATROL BOATS AND DAMAGED ANOTHER TWO OF THE SAME TYPE IN CRIMEA. ACCORDING TO A SOCIAL MEDIA POST IN LATE MAY, UKRAINE’S SPECIAL TASK UNIT, “GROUP 13,”USED  NAVAL DRONES TO ATTACK A SHIPYARD IN VUZKA BAY, CRIMEA. VIDEO IN THE POST SHOWS THE SUPPOSED MAGURA V-5 NAVAL DRONES MOVING UNDER HELICOPTER AND MACHINE GUN FIRE AND STRIKING PATROL BOATS THAT RESEMBLE RUSSIAN K-S-701 CUTTERS.

AND FINALLY, WE’RE NOT SURE WHO IS KEEPING THESE STATS, BUT BAYKAR TECH. A TURKISH DEFENSE COMPANY, SAYS THEIR T-B-2 DRONE RECENTLY BECAME THE FIRST UNMANNED COMBAT AERIAL VEHICLE IN AVIATION HISTORY TO PERFORM A BARREL ROLL.

ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT FROM BAYKAR, THE T-B-2 U-C-A-V ATTEMPTED THE MANEUVER, WHICH IT PERFORMED AUTONOMOUSLY, 3 TIMES DURING A TEST FLIGHT AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED EVERY ATTEMPT.

THE BARREL ROLL, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ESCAPE MANEUVERS OF FIGHTER JETS, HAS NEVER BEEN PERFORMED BY ANY UCAV IN THE WORLD.

DURING THE BARREL ROLL MANEUVER, THE AIRCRAFT FOLLOWS A SPIRAL ROUTE AS IT MOVES HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE SKY.

————————————————————————-

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WOULD IT SURPRISE YOU TO KNOW DRONES, AT LEAST IN THE MODERN MILITARY SENSE OF THE WORD, HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY?

 IN 1907 THREE FRENCH INVENTORS DEVELOPED THE FIRST QUADCOPTER. IT TOOK FOUR MEN TO FLY IT AND IT COULD ONLY GET TWO FEET OFF THE GROUND, BUT IT MARKED THE LAUNCHING POINT FOR THE DRONES WE KNOW TODAY, SOME 117 YEARS LATER. 

THE FIRST KNOWN USE OF DRONES IN COMBAT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN 1943 WHEN THE GERMANS DEVELOPED THE F-X-1400, ALSO KNOWN AS THE “FRITZ X”. IT WAS ESSENTIALLY A REMOTE CONTROLLED 2,300 POUND BOMB USED TO SINK SHIPS. 

FAST FORWARD TO FEBRUARY OF 2002 WHEN THE CIA USED A PREDATOR DRONE TO TARGET A SUSPECT THOUGHT TO BE OSAMA BIN LADEN.

 UNFORTUNATELY, IN THAT INCIDENT, AN INNOCENT MAN OUT COLLECTING SCRAP METAL WAS KILLED. 

DESPITE THAT MISTAKE, DRONE USE HAS ONLY GROWN IN SIZE AND SCOPE. 

MOST NOTABLY IN UKRAINE’S DEFENSE OF RUSSIA’S ILLEGAL INVASION. FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS UKRAINIAN TROOPS COUNTERED RUSSIA’S ADVANTAGES IN TROOP NUMBERS AND HARDWARE, BY INNOVATING NEW WAYS TO USE SMALL, COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DRONES TO SLOW RUSSIA’S ADVANCE.

THANKS IN PART TO COUNTLESS SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS OF THEIR SUCCESSES, THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND TAKING NOTICE. IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR AMERICAN MILITARY LEADERSHIP TO REALIZE THE NATURE OF COMBAT WAS CHANGING RIGHT THERE ON THE SCREENS OF THEIR SMARTPHONES.

SO THE QUESTION BECOMES, HOW DOES AMERICA, AND ITS ALLIES, BEGIN TO ADAPT?

IT’S A QUESTION THAT IS DOMINATING THE TIME OF THOSE CHARGED WITH FINDING ANSWERS. 

FOR MOST AMERICANS, AT LEAST PUBLICLY, THE CLOCK STARTED RUNNING ON JANUARY 28th, WHEN THREE U.S. ARMY SOLDIERS WERE KILLED, AND 47 OTHERS INJURED, IN A DRONE ATTACK ON AN AMERICAN OUTPOST IN JORDAN. 

LAUNCHED BY THE IRANIAN-BACKED ISLAMIC RESISTANCE IN IRAQ, IT WAS A WAKEUP CALL FOR MANY. AT THIS YEAR’S AFA WARFARE SYMPOSIUM, RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL BRAD REEVES WAS PART OF A ROUNDTABLE ADDRESSING THE MODERN DRONE THREAT. 

[Col. Brad Reeves]

“I want you to grasp this tower. 22 is the first time in over seventy years that US ground forces have been killed by an air attack. I want you to let that sit in for just a minute. This is unacceptable. As airmen we should feel a bit of righteous anger. But also, of course, do something about it.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS TO THIS EVOLVING THREAT THERE’S A SENSE OF URGENCY. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO ONE OF AMERICA’S OLDEST ADVERSARIES. 

[Michael Holl, Requirements and Capabilities Lead, RTX]

“In China, we face a threat where they have the resources and the infrastructure and the pace of patience to develop something way more elaborate than we’ve seen before. As industry, you know, we have to make sure our systems aren’t brittle, that they can stay one step in front of this very sophisticated enemy. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

DURING A RECENT VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE HOSTED BY THE CENTER FOR EUROPEAN POLICY ANALYSIS, RETIRED AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL LANCE LANDRUM STRESSED STAYING AHEAD OF THE THREAT MEANS TAKING NEW APPROACHES TO GET HARDWARE INTO THE HANDS OF OPERATORS IN THE FIELD.

[Lt. Gen. Lance Lundrum USAF]

“I think this is part of us going forward in how we embrace technology, how we embrace a younger generation, who can think about these problems in ways that the older generation just cannot because of our biases, and then the risk, taking the risk environment associated with their acquisition systems to move forward on things that may not be perfect, but get them out there, use them, learn from them and develop them and spiral them differently.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WATCH ENOUGH VIDEO OF UKRAINE’S DRONE EXPLOITS AND IT’S EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES DRONES  BRING TO THE TABLE. HOWEVER, THE BIGGER PART OF THE EQUATION LIES IN DEFENDING AGAINST THEM. DETECTING AN INBOUND THREAT THAT’S CONSIDERABLY SMALLER THAN A TRADITIONAL MISSILE OR ATTACK AIRCRAFT, STOPPING A SINGLE DRONE, OR A SWARM OF DRONES, WILL TAKE A SIZABLE LEAP IN TECHNOLOGY. A LESSON RUSSIA IS LEARNING THE HARD WAY.

[Lt. Gen. Lance Lundrum USAF]

“I think that we should take that to heart and not have hubris that we wouldn’t have the same problems. There’s one thing about these drones of all different sizes, you know, the small, medium and large, that they can exploit gaps and seams in traditional air defense systems in ways that traditional offensive systems haven’t in the past.”

[Col. Brad Reeves]

“Passive is certainly I believe the it’s the Holy Grail, it’s where we want to go, as Bart mentioned, the technology is just not mature enough yet to be able to rely on it fully. And also to be able to get most importantly, for it to be a targetable solution. So to be on fire control radar, if you will, of our control solution to get us the accuracy we need for the weapon systems. It’s just not there today, but I do believe it will be soon.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHILE CHALLENGES PERSIST, PROGRESS IS BEING MADE.  

IN MARCH, WE FEATURED THE WORK THE AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY IS DOING WITH THEIR DRONE INTERCEPTOR, THE PALADIN. A U-A-S ARMED WITH A SHOTGUN THAT FIRES A NET TO INTERCEPT AND BRING DOWN DRONES LOITERING WHERE THEY SHOULDN’T BE.

THERE’S ALSO ENFORCE-AIR BY D-FEND SOLUTIONS, ALLOWING OPERATORS TO NEUTRALIZE ENEMY DRONES BY HACKING-IN AND TAKING TAKING THEM OVER. 

AND IN APRIL, THE ARMY CONFIRMED TO MILITARY DOT COM IT DEPLOYED A PAIR OF 20-KILOWATT PALLETIZED HIGH-ENERGY LASERS TO AN UNDISCLOSED OVERSEAS LOCATION. DEVELOPED BY BLUE HALO, THE DEPLOYMENT HIGHLIGHTS THE MILITARY’S INTEREST IN DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY. 

RTX’S MICHAEL HOLL SAYS FINDING DIVERSIFIED SOLUTIONS, LIKE THOSE, IS THE RIGHT APPROACH.

[Michael Holl, Requirements and Capabilities Lead, RTX]

“So there’s service specific needs, we can’t fall for a one, one size fits all counter drone solution. And we have a sophisticated enemy, we have to have systems that are flexible enough to account for the future threats.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN WATCHING THE TWO EVENTS WE USED IN WRITING THIS STORY JUST LOOK FOR THE LINKS POSTED BELOW.

————————————————————————————

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TIME NOW FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, AND TO SAY THERE IS A LOT OF COMPETITION IN THE DRONE INDUSTRY IS PUTTING IT MILDLY. HOW COMPETITIVE IS IT YOU MIGHT WONDER, JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. 

THIS 2022 INFOGRAPHIC FROM DRONE INDUSTRY INSIGHTS SHOWS JUST HOW MANY COMPANIES ARE IN THE RACE FOR A PIECE OF THE MARKET.

TO SURVIVE IN A FIELD THAT COMPETITIVE COMPANIES NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO STAND OUT FROM THE PACK. FOR PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS, THAT’S THE C-100.

AT FIRST GLANCE IT DOESN’T LOOK ALL THAT DIFFERENT FROM A DRONE YOU MIGHT FIND ON THE SHELF AT A BIG BOX STORE. BUT ON CLOSER INSPECTION THE C-100 BRINGS A LOT OF VERSATILITY TO THE TABLE. P-D-W MARKETS IT AS “THE ULTIMATE FORCE MULTIPLIER”, PUTTING THE ABILITY TO GATHER INTEL, CARRY A PAYLOAD, OR DELIVER MUNITIONS WITH PRECISION, RIGHT IN THE OPERATOR’S HANDS WITH FIRST-PERSON VIEW.

[Ryan Gury, CEO & Co-Founder, Performance Drone Works]

“FPV is a whole new style of of munition delivery, where a pilot has, you know, very finite control of exactly where that munition can be placed. And when that can be placed, you can stand off but a great while identify targets, you can hit pieces of armor or exactly where they’re vulnerable. And just last week, we heard from the generals in Ukraine that FPV is now outsurpassing artillery and small arms for anti-personnel and anti-armor. You know, we believe this combat system is just the next era of defense. And, you know, we’re really excited to participate and push that ball forward.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

C-E-O AND CO-FOUNDER RYAN GURY BRINGS A UNIQUE BACKGROUND TO THE TABLE. 

AS CO-FOUNDER OF THE DRONE RACING LEAGUE HE KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT DEVELOPING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE PACKAGE. 

[Drone Racing League]

”DRL is defining 21st-century sport. Immersing fans with high-tech and high-speed competition across all dimensions!”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES OF THE D-R-L DRONES SOON GARNERED THE INTEREST OF THE SPECIAL FORCES COMMUNITY, AND IT DIDN’T TAKE GURY LONG TO SEE THERE WAS A MILITARY NEED FOR THEIR TECH. CAPABLE OF AUTONOMOUS OPERATIONS, P-D-W SAYS THE C-100 IS POWERED BY A-I-ASSISTED SOFTWARE, MAKING IT A PLATFORM THAT CAN THINK FOR ITSELF AND AROUND ENEMY SYSTEMS.

[Ryan Gury]

“We have a flight envelope that is quite large, you know, we can host payloads from 10 to 15 pounds depending on figure configuration, and we can fly those, you know, payloads for up to 34 minutes. So full weight, if you just want to fly a single camera and get to 74 minutes. And you know, that flight envelope is critical to making this a successful product, because this product is is, you know, intended to be compatible with every system, every payload in its class.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

FROM VARIOUS MUNITIONS TO AN ARRAY OF CAMERAS AND SENSORS, THIS MULTI-MISSION PLATFORM BRINGS VERSATILITY TO THE BATTLESPACE. SO MUCH SO THAT GURY HAS DESCRIBED THE C-100 AS AIR SUPPORT FOR THE SINGLE SOLDIER IN A BACKPACK. 

[Ryan Gury]

“Drones that you can use from your body from your rucksack drones to be used on a frontline really do extend the frontline, beyond humans and into sensors and robotics and really keep the warfighter at safety.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IT’S THAT KIND OF MINDSET THAT’S HELPING P-D-W FIND ITS PLACE IN A VERY CROWDED MARKETPLACE. 

EARLIER THIS YEAR THE U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES ACQUISITIONS, TECHNOLOGY, AND LOGISTICS OFFICE AWARDED THE ALABAMA STARTUP A $6.9 MILLION CONTRACT FOR THEIR BLACK WAVE RADIO SYSTEM THAT’S DESIGNED TO KEEP THEIR DRONES, AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS,  RESISTANT TO JAMMING FROM ENEMY FORCES.

———————————————————————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TIME NOW FOR COMMS CHECK AND WE’VE GOT AN UPDATE ON A FAN FAVORITE PROJECT HERE AT WEAPONS AND WARFARE, THE BOEING MQ-25 STINGRAY UNMANNED AIR REFULER. 

BOEING ANNOUNCING A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE COMMUNICATION TIME BETWEEN F/A-18 PILOTS AND THE STINGRAYS.

IN A SIMULATOR LAB A PILOT WAS ABLE TELL THE MQ-25 TO RELEASE A REFUELING DROGUE AND REFUEL HIS SUPER HORNET USING EXISTING COMMUNICATIONS LINKS ON BOTH PLATFORMS. IN ESSENCE THEY CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN. IN EARLIER VERSIONS A REMOTE PILOT ON AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER WOULD HAVE RELEASED THE DROGUE. 

A SPOKESPERSON FOR BOEING SAYS ADDING THIS OPTION IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN AERIAL REFUELING TECHNOLOGY.

THE HOPE IS THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL GIVE PILOTS GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN REFUELING FROM LONGER DISTANCES.

——————————————————————————

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ALRIGHT FOLKS…THE DISCLAIMER YOU JUST HEARD MEANS WE’RE NEARING THE END OF OUR SHOW AND IT’S TIME FOR THIS WEEK’S WRAP. 

WE PROMISED AN ALL DRONE SHOW FROM START TO FINISH…AND THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO GET. 

NOW, IF IT WASN’T OBVIOUS YET–LET ME JUST SPELL IT OUT SO I CAN MAKE SURE WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE:

DRONES ARE GOING TO BE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WEAPONS WHEN FIGHTING FUTURE BATTLES…. BUT IF YOU THINK THAT MEANS WE’RE JUST A STONE’S THROW AWAY FROM HAVING TERMINATOR TYPE ROBOTS HUNTING HUMANS…IT DOESN’T. AND THERE ARE A COUPLE REASONS FOR THAT. 

FIRST…WHILE IT’S TRUE DRONES ARE REPLACING HUMANS IN MANY PARTS OF WARFARE–BE IT ON LAND, IN THE AIR, ON WATER, UNDER WATER…EVEN IN OUTER SPACE….IT DOESN’T MEAN DRONES ARE RUNNING THE BATTLESPACE…

OR COULD EVEN MAKE SENSE OF IT WITHOUT HUMAN INPUT. 

YOU SEE—MOST OF THE DRONES IN USE TODAY ARE REALLY GOOD AT DOING AUTOMATED TASKS…THINGS THAT CAN BE PRE-PROGRAMMED INTO THE DRONE TO PRODUCE TRUSTED AND REPEATABLE RESULTS

THINK OF SELF PARKING CARS–THE CAR PARKS ITSELF AUTOMATICALLY–AFTER A HUMAN TELLS IT THAT IT’S TIME TO PARK. 

BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOMATION—AND AUTONOMY. IN THE WORLD OF WEAPONS AND WARFARE–AN AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEM IS ONE THAT CAN CHOOSE A TARGET AND FIRE ON IT BASED SOLELY ON SENSOR INPUTS…AND NOT HUMAN INPUTS. 

AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS ARE IN USE TODAY…MOSTLY IN DEFENSIVE CAPACITIES…BUT THE TECH IS ALSO BEING USED IN SOME LOITERING MUNITIONS.

THE LEVEL OF AUTONOMY NEEDED TO MAKE SENSE OF A DYNAMIC MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLEFIELD, HOWEVER… WITH TROOP MOVEMENTS AND POSITION CHANGES, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN A POPULATED AREA–AND WILL CERTAINLY NEED TO COMPENSATE FOR A WEALTH OF OUTSIDE AND CURRENTLY UNKNOWN FACTORS…

THAT TECH DOESN’T EXIST YET. 

IF IT DID…THERE WOULDN’T BE SO MUCH ON-THE-FLY ITERATION IN UKRAINE–WHERE AUTOMATED SYSTEMS NEED TO BE UPDATED DAILY TO ACCOUNT FOR ENEMY ADVANCES IN COUNTERMEASURES. 

ALSO THERE ARE SO MANY LEGAL AND ETHICAL QUESTIONS TO FIGURE OUT AROUND AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS–THAT MANY MILITARIES–LIKE THE UNITED STATES–ARE MANDATING A HUMAN NEEDS TO STAY IN THE LOOP WHEN LETHAL DECISIONS ARE MADE. 

NOW, OF COURSE, ENEMY NATIONS OR HOSTILE ACTORS MAY NOT ADHERE TO THIS SAME LEVEL OF MORAL ACCOUNTABILITY … BUT THEY STILL HAVE TO OVERCOME THE INITIAL CHALLENGE OF MAKING THE AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM WORK IN THE FIRST PLACE. 

SO, WHILE AUTOMATED DRONES ARE CERTAINLY A PART OF BATTLE PLANS MOVING FORWARD–I DON’T THINK WE NEED TO BE PUTTING JOHN CONNOR IN A BUNKER JUST YET. 

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER, AND GRAPHICS DESIGNER DAKOTA PITEO…I’M RYAN ROBERTSON FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, SIGNING OFF.