Dear All,

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Systems have a number of strengths and weaknesses compared to manned aircraft. US is the only country with technology advancement and also widely deploying their advanced military UAV for homeland security.

Brooke-Holland, L (2013) on behalf of UK Armed Forces wrote "Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems". I believe many countries in the world, including Singapore, share the view summarized by the author.

Strengths :

• Good for dull, dirty dangerous tasks 
• Operations can be conducted without risk to aircrew
• Can be cheaper (caution – through life costs need to be considered) 
• Availability - unmanned aircraft can support tactical activity where manned assets would not be available 
• Small/medium scale can provide immediate, tactical situation awareness (in uncontested airspace) 
• Reduced manpower footprint in theater 
• Very good at intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and attack missions (in uncontested airspace) 
• Removal of human limitations can allow different performance factors to be developed and exploited 
• Persistence 
• Can help reduce harmony issues by operation from rear base 

Weaknesses:

• Lack of small, tailored weapons 
• Lack of long air carriage life weapons 
• Vulnerable to cyber and communications link attack 
• Legal, ethical, moral thinking needs further development 
• Law of Armed Conflict may constrain high levels of automation/autonomy
• Current systems are not built to airworthy standards – costs will rise as these are enforced
• Integration into non-segregated airspace is problematic, potentially costly and there is uncertainty over when it will happen 
• No experience of non-urgent operational requirement procurement 
• Public perception issues (killer drones) 
• Limited UK experience in the operation of unmanned aircraft across all Classes 
• Key technologies remain immature 
• Very good at niche roles but lacks overall flexibility and adaptability compared to manned aircraft 
• Poor penetration

Opportunities:

• Focused UAS research and procurement could underpin national industrial sustainment in key areas 
• Ideal platform to rapidly exploit new and advanced technologies 
• Directed energy weapon/electromagnetic weapon employment 
• Novel approach to operations. 
• Opportunity to develop new acquisition processes 
• Expand into control of the air and mobility air power roles 
• Export potential (but International Traffic in Arms Regulations and Missile Technology Control Regime issues) 
• Civil markets, inter-operability 
• Cross governmental cooperation 
• Quicker, cheaper into service UAS pipeline to provide coordinated research and technology program
• Swarming/networks new ways of working

Threats:

• Threat to operational sovereignty through declining national industrial capability 
• Seen by some as policy/financial panacea without appropriate understanding of relative strength and weaknesses of current systems 
• Entrenched views skew arguments both for/against 
• Requires new thinking Funding new systems difficult in financial climate 
• Current defense industrial strategy and procurement system is not agile enough, may not be able to sustain full range of capabilities (particularly the high end) 
• Research funding under pressure 
• Technology may promise too much and fail to deliver 
• Technology may provide effective counter UAS systems 
• Pressures to increase develop high end systems may starve simpler more affordable systems of funding/development 
• High accident/loss rates 
• Bandwidth requirements and spectrum management 
• Uncertainty over when certain technologies will deliver makes planning of manned/unmanned mix difficult and transition planning problematic

Reference:

Brooke-Holland, L. (2013). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones): an Introduction. International Affairs and Defense, 21.