"I will give up a tank battalion for a UAV company." MG Kern, Commander, 4th Infantry Division, to GEN Reimer, Army Chief of Staff, March 1997

Task Force XXI – Advanced Warfighting Experiment As part of its joint effort to redesign the Army for the 21st century and integrate information technologies in the process, the Army has been conducting a series of digitized Advanced Warfighting Experiments (AWEs) at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, CA. These are designed to develop combat operations for the 21st century. Task Force (TF) XXI, or NTC rotation 97-06, addressed multiple Army objectives that focused on forces, operations, tactics and systems developed around enabling information systems and digital technologies. From 15 through 28 March, the “blue” Experimental Force (EXFOR, the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division) engaged in force-on-force operations against the NTC’s “red” Opposing Force (OPFOR), following several months of prior smaller-unit exercises and training. TF XXI also involved joint participation by Marine Corps, Air Force and Special Operations Forces, which supported the EXFOR. Among several information-enhancing systems supporting the EXFOR were UAVs: Eight Hunter air vehicles (AVs), as surrogates for the Outrider Tactical UAV; and The Gnat 750 as a surrogate for the Predator UAV. The Army’s major combat operational concepts and their linkages to Joint Vision (JV) 2010’s concepts are shown to the right. UAV contributions to the EXFOR’s performance are documented below. UAV Contributions to the TF XXI AWE The effects of UAVs on the battle were emphasized in testimony by GEN Hartzog, Army TRADOC Commander, before the Senate’s AirLand Forces Subcommittee:1 Unmanned aerial vehicles were one of the big winners at the NTC rotation 97-06. Clearly they are emerging as the next generation of airborne reconnaissance. Technological advances in electronics, materials, propulsion, construc-tion, and communications are bringing about the reality of collection and near- to real-time dissemination of information. The ability of the UAV to penetrate enemy airspace and dwell over and near target areas is essential to Army XXI warfighters and represents a vital link to other reconnaissance vehicles and platforms. The imaging systems of the UAVs allow commanders to detect, identify, and track hostile activity in sufficient time to target with lethal weapons systems or maneuver against or around them, as appropriate, and conduct battle damage assessment. Additionally, the UAV enhances the commander’s ability to locate, identify, and track friendly forces to avoid fratricide. In the foreseeable future, UAVs will also give us the capability to detect nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons; see into double and triple canopy jungles; and provide low cost and reliable communications and data relay across the battlefield.… EXFOR soldiers control a tactical UAV Those of us at the NTC noticed that the UAV had an interesting effect on the OPFOR. They spent a lot of time looking for it, and tended to talk about it on the radio as well. That allowed intelligence forces a chance to intercept the conversations and provided much valuable visual and audible data. In very initial reports, the Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC) notes that the OPFOR reaction to Hunter’s presence on the battlefield included movement of vulnerable assets more often, dispersal of equipment over larger areas, maintenance of key assets in no-fire zones, dedication of SA-8s and SA-9s to the UAV fight, delayed movement to defensive positions to the last possible moment, and attempts to continually track the UAV from audio signature. The Secretary of Defense and other senior military and civilians within the Department of Defense were also favorably impressed with the performance of the unmanned aerial vehicles, calling the UAV the “cream of the crop at the NTC” and “the future of the Army.” Operators and soldiers were enthusiastic about the system as well. The UAV provided a level of intelligence never before available to commanders. Hunters, Gnat 750, and TCS supporting EXFOR during TF XXI During the exercise, Hunter flew 56 sorties for 282 hours in the tactical UAV role, while the Gnat 750 flew 5 sorties for 23 hours as a medium-altitude endurance (MAE) UAV. In addition to the UAVs, the Tactical Control System (TCS) also participated in the exercise, as part of its program definition phase. It demonstrated the following: Passive receipt of Gnat 750 (Predator) and Hunter (TUAV) imagery; Multiple UAV management; and Connectivity to other participating command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) facilities. In addition to the Army’s appreciation for UAVs’ impact on the battlefield, they are increasingly recognizing the need for the fusion of UAV products with other intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, and for more training.