Defense Technology International - July 2007 - (Page 20)

DISPATCHES GLOBAL AT AN IMPASSE Marine bureaucracy drags its heels over killer drones for Iraq DAVID AXE•WASHINGTON rmed unmanned aerial vehicles top the wish lists of Marine Corps ofﬁcers in western Iraq. But requests for the drones are mired in a long-delayed program to procure “Tier II” UAVs as part of the Marine Corps’ future airborne-surveillance architecture. “Urgent universal needs statements” from the Marine Expeditionary Force in September and November 2006 called for a “small unmanned combat air vehicle Tier II” that can “take the ﬁght to [insurgents] in areas where they . . . perceive sanctuary.” The drone would be armed so it wouldn’t have to wait for a larger UAV or manned aircraft to attack. A leaked presentation features the blended-wing Killer Bee drone developed by San Clemente, Calif.-based builder Swift Engineering. Killer Bee is ready for production. Marines want the drone, but rapid acquisition runs counter to operations at the Marine Corps weapons-buying complex in Quantico, Va. The Marines’ present drone force is divided into three tiers, which are undergoing modernization. Tier I comprises around 300 hand-launched Dragon Eyes with 1-hr. endurance. The service is buying the Army’s RQ-11B Raven-B design to replace the 6-lb. Dragon Eyes, which are distributed to infantry battalions. Tier III boasts a handful of aged RQ-2 Pioneers serving with two VMU (unmanned aerial vehicle) squadrons. The Marines are procuring RQ-7 Shadow drones to replace the Pioneers and to outﬁt a third squadron. Tier II, however, is the trouble spot. The medium-sized Tier II drone, also ﬂown by the VMU squadrons, is the service’s main persistent-surveillance platform. “Tier II is relatively inexpensive and . . . lets you be airborne at all times,” says Marine Lt. Col. P.J. Kerr, a UAV expert at the Pentagon. “You couple that with fewer but morecapable Tier III UAVs that can respond quickly” to targets spotted by the Tier II drones. The Tier III can attack or mark a target for an armed helicopter, ﬁghterbomber or artillery. 20 A sualties. For this reason, deployed Marine commanders have repeatedly attempted to jump-start procurement with formal urgent equipment requests and letters to Congressional representatives. The persistence provided by Tier II In response to the needs statements, Swift drones is critical to the Marine Corps’ launched a crash program last year to install future surveillance concept, codenamed lethal and non-lethal weapons on the Killer “Cassandra,” which is based on the Army’s Bee even as the airframe continued ﬂight plans to link drones and piloted helicop- tests. Director of operations Jan Wesley ters in “manned-unmanned” teams (DTI Refsdal says Killer Bee is compatible with April, p. 36). Kerr describes Cassandra as the Mk. 32 40-mm. grenade launcher, the Compact High-Powered green-laser eye dazzler built by LE Systems, and American Technology Corp.’s Long-Range Acoustic Device “sound weapon.” The Killer Bee’s large payload—approximately double that of most similar drones—makes weaponization possible. “The thing about a blended wing . . . is that for any given wingspan, you can carry a greater payload,” Refsdal says. “We’re looking at being able to ﬂy a 30-lb. payload for 15 hr. with a 10-ft. wingspan.” The basic Killer Bee is equipped U.S. Marines in Iraq want the blendwith infrared and electro-optical sened-wing Killer Bee drone for its persors built by Maynard, Mass.-based sistent surveillance and ability to Optical Alchemy. One system comcarry lethal and non-lethal weapons. prises three air vehicles, a pneumatic a protocol connecting all of the Marines’ launcher and a ground-control station, all helicopters, tiltrotors, ﬁghters and drones of which can be lifted by a V-22 tiltrotor. to each other and to ground troops sporting Each drone will cost around $1.2 million. “super-Rover” handheld terminals that send Swift can build 90 vehicles in two years— the expected requirements of the ﬁrst Tier and receive data. The only Tier II drones in Marine service II award. In mid-July, Swift teamed with are a handful of Scan Eagles leased from Raytheon to offer Killer Bee for Tier II. Boeing and Insitu two years ago. Operators Attempts to procure Killer Bee have gained in Iraq love the 10-ft.-wingspan Scan Eagles Congressional traction. On June 28, Sens. Joand have ﬁled at least three urgent requests seph Biden (D-Del.) and Christopher Bond for up to 240 more, but Quantico rejected (R-Mo.) jointly wrote to Defense Secretary them. The bureaucracy prefers to wait for Robert Gates asking for action to “improve the Tier II system before it plows money the procurement system” for Marine Corps into procurement. weapons. Some observers see the corresponIndustry expected a formal Tier II com- dence as a ﬁrst step toward congressional hearpetition two years ago. Kerr predicts a 2008 ings addressing a disconnect between Quanlaunch, but there are leaked documents that tico and the ﬁghting forces, a resolution of indicate this is an optimistic projection. which might see the rapid acquisition of Tier Kerr says the drone community is focused II drones and other gear. I on replacing Pioneers and boosting spares levels for the heavily tasked VMUs. To watch a video about ScanEagle, Delays to medium drones mean greater go to DTI’s homepage: freedom of movement for insurgents and, aviationweek.com/dti and click on ‘Extras for this issue’ under ‘DTI Interactive.’ consequently, a potential for more U.S. cawww.aviationweek.com/dti DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JULY/AUGUST 2007 SWIFT ENGINEERING http://aviationweek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - July 2007

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