Ground control stations are becoming networking-hub cockpits

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

Ground control stations for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming networking-hub cockpits on the ground for U.S. unmanned forces

Posted by John McHale

Unmanned aircraft are a huge advantage for U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, providing surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike capability to U.S. forces. An ever present eye in the skies, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) numbers are growing in the battlefield as well as domestically for use by law enforcement, weather monitoring, and by NASA for research.

The aircraft themselves are sexy and exciting, but what many do not realize is that the amazing feats they perform are controlled and monitored from sophisticated UAV ground control stations sometimes thousands of miles away from where the aircraft is flying.

The ground control stations (GCSs) often are located in the in or near the battlefield but are can also be controlled bases in the U.S. A UAV “pilot” could have breakfast with his wife and kids in the morning, head off to work and fly missions over Afghanistan, then had home for a family dinner at night.

Continued Here: http://www.militaryaerospace.com/index/display/article-display/9978445755/articles/military-aerospace-electronics/exclusive-content/2010/6/ground-control_stations.html

From the article:


Payload control

In the past the payload operator would be trained to handle the basics of the computer system and forward incoming intelligence from the UAV to the intelligence analysts, command centers, troops in the field for analysis, Walby says. Now there is a trend to have the payload operator be trained as an intelligence analyst, so that if he sees something crucial that needs to be exploited immediately and “alert troops in the field as well as analysis centers for time sensitive targeting saving time,” he adds.

[mhpr262]

I see that as one of the main advantages of UAVs, that unlike the single pilot or the two pilots in a conventional plane tasks can be split between different people. WIth the ever-growing flood of images and videos I can see the evaluation and analyst work being "outsourced" to people sitting in front of their computers at home. Even soldiers who are otherwise unfit for duties because of injuries or the like would be able to do that.

[rgjbloke]

I know very little about this stuff but even me, as an outsider, can see it's a very exciting time in this field. Twenty years ago, most people would never have dreamed that armed aircraft would be patrolling the sky's as a matter of routine and taking the war to the terrorist's backyard. In spite of that, it also appears that we are still just at the beginning of exploiting this technology much much further.

[skyeye]

Thanks, Col. Great article. Reconnaissance has come so far in the past 40 years. The ability to shadow a target undetected for hours is incredible. Used to be, a FAC and back seater had only a short time to bring pee down on the bad guys or the target was gone. Certainty of the coordinates is another great advance that allows one smart bomb to do the work of many dumb ones.

[2495]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?180983-Intelligence-Strike-Recon-Distributed-Common-Ground-System&highlight=

Pdf from the USAF magazine in the linked thread (first post) is a good read about the tech and airframes all wrapped into this DCGS tech.

[Mastermind]

Good find, Col...as usual.

Of course, most MPers interested on this subject know my opinions on it. Carrying the UAV or so-called "pilotless" aircraft tech to it's ultimate conclusion based on existing technology, we could actually fight a war with nothing but policemen as the sole human interface with the targeted population. UAV tech has come to the point of allowing the "man in a suit" back home to actually observe and intercept any human combatants on any given battlefield in the world and even in space. UAV's can be as large as the largest and fastest aircraft in any inventory or as small as a flea. Many today are fully capable of autonomous action regarding the ability to seek and kill. Sensory arrays are so refined nowdays that locating an air breathing, CO2 emitting, warm blooded, amonia wafting creature is absolutely not a problem. It is not beyond technocolgy on the shelf right now to fly over, locate centers of mass of potential enemy, launch seeking small UAV's that can then do a refined search, then discharge thousands of individual sensors and image gathering micro bots that can identify and pinpoint individuals who may be wearing explosive and weaponry substances like some gals wear perfume...those individuals could actually be marked with tiny, invisible to the naked eye frequency emitters without ever realizing it...then kill micro-UAVs can be sent in anytime to take out every single one of those marked targets...and take them out no matter where they are hiding...even in deep underground bunkers. They would have to seal themselves in airtight containers in order to avoid the attack. The killer-systems could wait for weeks or even years in special cases if necessary to sit along roads, common latrine areas, eating places, food markets and distribution centers and watering holes just idling their time until a marked target came by. UAV's can fly in at night, drop thousands..even millions of micro bots, looking like stones, gravel, dirt clods, dead insects, plants, even dung, infecting the entire area of interest. This technology is very real right now. All anyone with enough money and access to it has to do is decide to use it.

[saf]

Twenty years ago, most people would never have dreamed that armed aircraft would be patrolling the sky's as a matter of routine and taking the war to the terrorist's backyard. In spite of that, it also appears that we are still just at the beginning of exploiting this technology much much further.

...right. still starting to explore the vast amount of knowledge brought by these technology(armed UAV's). atleast, were keeping the guys on the field a bit safer, knowing there's something up ready to put antitank missiles on the enemies arse. hehehe

[saf]

Good find, Col...as usual.

Of course, most MPers interested on this subject know my opinions on it. Carrying the UAV or so-called "pilotless" aircraft tech to it's ultimate conclusion based on existing technology, we could actually fight a war with nothing but policemen as the sole human interface with the targeted population. UAV tech has come to the point of allowing the "man in a suit" back home to actually observe and intercept any human combatants on any given battlefield in the world and even in space. UAV's can be as large as the largest and fastest aircraft in any inventory or as small as a flea. Many today are fully capable of autonomous action regarding the ability to seek and kill. Sensory arrays are so refined nowdays that locating an air breathing, CO2 emitting, warm blooded, amonia wafting creature is absolutely not a problem. It is not beyond technocolgy on the shelf right now to fly over, locate centers of mass of potential enemy, launch seeking small UAV's that can then do a refined search, then discharge thousands of individual sensors and image gathering micro bots that can identify and pinpoint individuals who may be wearing explosive and weaponry substances like some gals wear perfume...those individuals could actually be marked with tiny, invisible to the naked eye frequency emitters without ever realizing it...then kill micro-UAVs can be sent in anytime to take out every single one of those marked targets...and take them out no matter where they are hiding...even in deep underground bunkers. They would have to seal themselves in airtight containers in order to avoid the attack. The killer-systems could wait for weeks or even years in special cases if necessary to sit along roads, common latrine areas, eating places, food markets and distribution centers and watering holes just idling their time until a marked target came by. UAV's can fly in at night, drop thousands..even millions of micro bots, looking like stones, gravel, dirt clods, dead insects, plants, even dung, infecting the entire area of interest. This technology is very real right now. All anyone with enough money and access to it has to do is decide to use it.

...i agree.

[Lt-Col A. Tack]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?180983-Intelligence-Strike-Recon-Distributed-Common-Ground-System&highlight=

Pdf from the USAF magazine in the linked thread (first post) is a good read about the tech and airframes all wrapped into this DCGS tech.
Thank you, sir.


Thanks, Col. Great article. Reconnaissance has come so far in the past 40 years. The ability to shadow a target undetected for hours is incredible. Used to be, a FAC and back seater had only a short time to bring pee down on the bad guys or the target was gone. Certainty of the coordinates is another great advance that allows one smart bomb to do the work of many dumb ones.You're very welcome, sir.


Good find, Col...as usual.

Of course, most MPers interested on this subject know my opinions on it. Carrying the UAV or so-called "pilotless" aircraft tech to it's ultimate conclusion based on existing technology, we could actually fight a war with nothing but policemen as the sole human interface with the targeted population. UAV tech has come to the point of allowing the "man in a suit" back home to actually observe and intercept any human combatants on any given battlefield in the world and even in space. UAV's can be as large as the largest and fastest aircraft in any inventory or as small as a flea. Many today are fully capable of autonomous action regarding the ability to seek and kill. Sensory arrays are so refined nowdays that locating an air breathing, CO2 emitting, warm blooded, amonia wafting creature is absolutely not a problem. It is not beyond technocolgy on the shelf right now to fly over, locate centers of mass of potential enemy, launch seeking small UAV's that can then do a refined search, then discharge thousands of individual sensors and image gathering micro bots that can identify and pinpoint individuals who may be wearing explosive and weaponry substances like some gals wear perfume...those individuals could actually be marked with tiny, invisible to the naked eye frequency emitters without ever realizing it...then kill micro-UAVs can be sent in anytime to take out every single one of those marked targets...and take them out no matter where they are hiding...even in deep underground bunkers. They would have to seal themselves in airtight containers in order to avoid the attack. The killer-systems could wait for weeks or even years in special cases if necessary to sit along roads, common latrine areas, eating places, food markets and distribution centers and watering holes just idling their time until a marked target came by. UAV's can fly in at night, drop thousands..even millions of micro bots, looking like stones, gravel, dirt clods, dead insects, plants, even dung, infecting the entire area of interest. This technology is very real right now. All anyone with enough money and access to it has to do is decide to use it.A very interesting idea on future warfare, sir.