Advanced Technology Applications
THE DARO HAS CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED that a vigorous but disciplined approach to technology development is the key both to achieving Objective Architecture capabilities and keeping costs in an affordable range. Our first organized step in this process resulted in our Integrated Airborne Reconnaissance Strategy, which identified four categories of technology relevant to airborne reconnaissance, and containing 66 specific enabling technologies. This list expanded to 110 as a result of the detailed research conducted for our Airborne Reconnaissance Technology Program Plan, one of the Integrated Strategy's six major implementing documents. Of those 110 enabling technologies, 93 (or 85%) have direct or potential application to tactical or endurance UAVs, or both. The Technology Plan focused the most promising technologies into nine technology transition programs for near-term application to airborne reconnaissance systems. These nine programs represent the DARO's reconnaissance technology investment priorities for FY96 forward, and each defines an intermediate- term path for demonstration and validation. Eight of the nine apply to UAVs today.
Currently, we are implementing these technology transition programs via fifteen technology focus areas, with working groups to research the appropriate airborne reconnaissance programs (both manned and unmanned) that will best host the technologies' applications and integrate them with platforms and/or their subsystems.
Enabling Technology Applications 
The DARO's Technology Transition Programs
