Unmanned rotary aircraft will never fully replace piloted vehicles, with the combination of both types relieving the stress of the helicopter mission, according to military officials.
Speaking at the 2011 Defence IQ International Military Helicopter conference in London on May 11, representatives of the Canadian and German armed forces argued that for the required capabilities to be delivered by military forces, both manned and unmanned platforms must be utilised.
When asked if the development of systems such as the Boeing Hummingbird UAV and the Kaman K-Max unmanned helicopter was a threat to manned helicopter piloting, the representatives responded that it was more of an opportunity than a problem.
“Being a pilot actually I don’t find it a threat to myself. I actually see a significant place for remotely piloted, either autonomous or piloted from remote stations, for such systems,” said Lieutenant Colonel Duart Townsend of the Canadian Land Forces Command.
“I pull back from the platform-specific view, and look more back to the capabilities, and say no matter how the capabilities are delivered – be it from remotely-piloted vehicles, or piloted vehicles, however it is – it is actually more important to maintain focus on what it is we want to achieve and why we’re looking at delivering the capabilities.”
The conference heard that the ISR capabilities, logistics support, and ability to replenish and sustain platforms made non-piloted systems appealing in aiding helicopter missions.
Instead of additional platforms being introduced to deliver the hours demanded from
helicopter missions, leading to a shortage in pilots, the addition of an unpiloted platform with longer working perimeters would serve to relieve both pressure and cost.
…however…
Northrop Grumman has it both ways.
It’s new air vehicle designated Firebird, is capable of operating up to four discrete payloads simultaneously, and its ability to carry a pilot overcomes the ‘flight through civilian airspace’ problems encountered by conventional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).