Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Support of Homeland Security
2007
Weiger, Rusty L.
There are a multitude of opportunities for consistent UAS surveillance within the United States. Potential roles would include border patrols, drug interdiction, illegal fishing/whaling, oil spills, disaster relief missions, long-term airborne communications nodes in times of national emergency, search and rescue, as well as many commercial applications. The US Army UAS available after Hurricane Katrina were unable to be used because of airspace and command and control concerns at that time. Flying UAS within National Airspace will require Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for unrestricted flight. Command and control of military assets within the United States is being assessed to ensure we are in compliance with the posse comitatus requirements. There may also be times, such as border patrol or drug interdiction, that armed systems may be of value. While those issues are being addressed it doesn't appear that any organization is focusing on the major issues of bandwidth and airspace management. This paper begins by reviewing UAS history, current use, and regulations. The Department of Defense (DoD) UAS Roadmap and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) potential missions are assessed. Finally, the primary hurdles to expanded military UAS propagation are reviewed and recommendations are offered.
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