UAV's

[DaytonBuck]

Bouncing off of the F-22 thread the big debate in the Army and Air Force is who should have control over UAVs. Air Force wants pilot to "command" them and the Army says they should have control. I have no clue on this one. Both sides but up a good argument as to who should run them. Who should be in charge of unmanned air power?

[Oneshot]

Guess I don't know much about how the armed services work, but... Why can't they both have them, again?

[DaytonBuck]

Originally Posted by Oneshot

Guess I don't know much about how the armed services work, but... Why can't they both have them, again?

Not sure, I've been in the private sector where goals overlap but this obviously different.

The air force and army use their UAVs differently. For the army, the UAV is a tool for the local combat commander. That's why each combat division will get a Sky Warrior squadron. Combat brigades will also get detachments (of two to four UAVs) as needed (even though the brigades always have several smaller UAVs assigned.) The air force uses Predator and Warrior class UAVs more as strategic recon aircraft. The teams that actually fly the larger UAVs, and operate the sensors, do so from a base in the United States (via a satellite link). When air force UAVs go overseas, only their handling and maintenance crews accompany them. The army sends everyone over. The army and air force also have different tastes in sensors carried in the UAVs. But in practical terms, the air force has been using Predators more by army rules recently.

Strategy Page

[Muck]

Originally Posted by Oneshot

Guess I don't know much about how the armed services work, but... Why can't they both have them, again?

Because the Air Force wants the money.

The fighter mafia is also aghast at the idea that the Army let's *gasp* enlisted plebes fly their UAVs.

[DaytonBuck]

Originally Posted by Muck

Because the Air Force wants the money.

The fighter mafia is also aghast at the idea that the Army let's *gasp* enlisted plebes fly their UAVs.

This is the biggest conflict and controversy I see in defense trade mags and beltway stuff. I get the Air Force wanting to hold their turf but the Army has Helicopters why can't they have this?

Does the Army fly any manned planes any more?

[Muck]

Originally Posted by DaytonBuck

This is the biggest conflict and controversy I see in defense trade mags and beltway stuff. I get the Air Force wanting to hold their turf but the Army has Helicopters why can't they have this?

Ultimately it's because the AF wants to control every asset in the air space. Their argument is that it's a requirement for proper coordination of assets from a safety standpoint.

Another issue is that there are only so many frequencies available for use and without some coordination you run the risk of interference.

The Army's argument is that any time they hand an asset over to the AF that asset is no longer as available as they need it to be.

Look at the planning for Desert Storm and how shabbily Naval air assets were treated.

Does the Army fly any manned planes any more?

Light cargo stuff like the C-23 Sherpas. Some twin engined turboprop C-12s and VIP jets like the C-35.

I think MI still flies the RC-7 ELINT bird but I'm not sure.

A just contract with the AF to replace the C-23s was just awarded to the C-27 (looks like a smaller two engined C-130).

[DaytonBuck]

Originally Posted by Muck

Ultimately it's because the AF wants to control every asset in the air space. Look at the planning for Desert Storm and how shabbily Naval air assets were treated.

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Light cargo stuff like the C-23 Sherpas. Some twin engined turboprop C-12s and VIP jets like the C-35.

I think MI still flies the RC-7 ELINT bird but I'm not sure.

A just contract with the AF to replace the C-23s was just awarded to the C-27 (looks like a smaller two engined C-130).

I'm not sure how to says this correctly. Is their a doctrine that governs say coordination of air power between the branchs? Is someone like the CENTCOM commander in charging of coordinating something like say Apaches and various Air Force assets in combat?

How big is say the barrier to the Air Force running a UAV and the info getting relayed to another branch that needs it? Are different branches of the armed forces seamless integrated when it comes to data/intelligence sharing?