Unmanned Systems Special Report. February 2023 - 15

Environmental Applications of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in
Multi-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, and Nuclear Reconnaissance and Surveillance
Integrating chemical sensors into small, unmanned aircraft systems can expand their capabilities
and make them suitable for a variety of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.
Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH
E
nvironmental engineering is the
study of a dynamic relationship
between humans and the environment
- how humans impact the environment
and how the environment affects
humans. Like many other disciplines,
environmental engineering has a lot to
gain and share from exploring the use
of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
UAS provide a very interesting, and
often sophisticated, platform to help
scientists, engineers, and operators
understand or at least navigate this
relationship between man and the
environment. The Department of
Defense (DOD) has several mission sets
that align with the use of UAS. Most of
these missions fall within intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
The Chemical, Biological, Radiological,
and Nuclear (CBRN) community
falls within this ISR framework.
However, there is limited research
related to where these three focus
areas - environmental engineering,
UAS and CBRN reconnaissance and
surveillance (R&S) - converge.
WWI marked the beginning of modern
chemical weapons use. Although the
Geneva Protocol prohibited the use of
chemical weapons, nations continued to
develop and stockpile weapons of mass
destruction (WMD). Despite more recent
international efforts by the United Nations'
(UN) Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), there are
reports of chlorine gas, sarin, and mustard
agents being used in the Middle East
(Human Rights Council, 2014). Aggressive
state, non-state and terrorist organizations
like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) will not hesitate to use these
weapons. The international community,
in addition to the U.S. military, needs to
be prepared and properly equipped to
UNMANNED SYSTEMS SPECIAL REPORT
Department of Defense
Research focus areas.
combat these threats in any environment.
However, current CBRN Multi-service
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures
(MTTP) are dated and do not account for
the use of UAS as a CBRN R&S asset.
The development of UAS has
roots in ISR dating back to the 18th
Century. The first Unmanned Aircraft
Vehicles (UAV) were balloons used for
a variety of tasks including warfare
tactics. With the industrial revolution
and advanced warfare, bombs
were outfitted with components
for propulsion and guidance, which
would later be used to create the
first Unmanned Aircraft (UA). Aware
of the enormous potential of UAS,
governments and organizations around
the world have designed, developed,
and employed UAS in everything
from combat to leisure activities.
The terminology, nomenclature, and
classification of UAS are convoluted
and often disputed. For the purpose of
this research, a drone is defined as any
unmanned aircraft, spacecraft, vehicle,
vessel, or submarine designed for re-use.
A UAS is a sub-classification of a drone
which specifies an aircraft, often called
an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV), as
one of the primary actors of the system.
A typical UAS includes: the UA, sensors,
actuators, payload, flight computer,
ground control station, and safety pilot.
Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV) is a
unique term, but still considered a UAV.
In terms of classifying UAS, there
are several conventions with variations
between the military, civil, and public
arenas; however generally speaking,
they all deal with size, flight endurance,
and capabilities. This disjointed nature
FEBRUARY 2023 15
Unmanned
Aircraft Systems
Environmental
Engineering

Unmanned Systems Special Report. February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Unmanned Systems Special Report. February 2023