Naval UAVs Requirements Priorities and Program Goals

• Naval Tactical UAV

  • Sustain Pioneer and Naval UAV Infrastructure
  • Validate VTOL ORD (JROC)
  • Execute VTOL Acquisition Plan
  • Integrate TCS Capabilities

• Naval Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE) UAV Capability

  • Predator Air Vehicle Positional Control and Data Receipt via TCS Interoperability
  • Organic Naval MAE Capability

• High Altitude Endurance (HAE) UAV Capability

  • Naval Ability to Task and Receive Data via TCS

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Program Goals

• As a first priority, we believe that Pioneer INFRASTRUCTURE should be sustained. This includes Navy & Marine forces, plus their maintenance activities. Existing infrastructure is critical for any future transition to a VTOL UAV system. (VC-6 DET, VMU-1, and VMU-2

• We want to sustain the Pioneer system until there is replacement Tactical UAV hardware to hand off.

• There is strong Fleet support for VTOL as the Naval TUAV solution. I will discuss the VTOL initiative in more detail in the next slides.

• TCS is the critical link between various UAV Systems.
  • TCS will be the control system for all future Tactical UAV systems. The requirement is to have full air vehicle and payload command and control through TCS, including launch and recovery.
  • Integration is ongoing with Pioneer, the current TUAV (If it gets in to discussion, Pioneer has to have replacement parts for it’s current command and control station and instead of going stovepipe, they are going toward TCS compatibility.)
  • Work is also ongoing for TCS integration with LAMPS. Strong N86 support.
  • TCS is also the link to the Navy’s second priority system, Medium Altitude Endurance (MAE) UAVs. The Navy, Marine Corps and Army requirement is to have air vehicle command and control as well as payload control and data receipt from the current MAE, Predator.
  • TCS will provide the link to data receipt from the high altitude endurance (HAE) UAVs, the Navy’s third priority system.

• TCS will also be the UAV data dissemination link between existing and future C4I architectures.

• Naval support for a VTOL UAV will undoubtedly drive the future of Naval UAV systems.