TheoriginofUAVs
TheearliestdevelopmentofUAVswasafterWorldWarI.Inadditiontotheuseofdronestotrainanti-aircraftgunnersinWorldWarII,boththeUnitedStatesandGermanytriedTheplanecarriesalargeamountofexplosives,andiscontrolledbythepilotdirectlyorthroughanotherplanetocarryouthighlyaccurateattacksonspecialtargets.GermanyusedfighterjetsandunmannedbombersontheEasternFront.TheU.S.experimentallyusestheB-17bomberasavehicleforexplosives.Thepilotparachutesaftertheautomaticflightdeviceisactivatedinthefinalstage,andtheaircrafthitsthetargetafterthedefaultflight.
AftertheSecondWorldWar,therewereseveraldevelopmentroutes.Oneistoconvertretiredaircraftintospecialresearchortargetaircraft.Oneistousespeciallydesignedsmallunmannedaircraftforspecialreconnaissanceortestmissions,andthethirdistoreplacelargeaircraftwithsmallunmannedaircraft.Withtheadvancementofelectronictechnology,droneshavebeguntoshowtheirflexibilityandimportanceintheroleofreconnaissancemissions.DuringtheVietnamWar,theUnitedStatesusedalargenumberofunmannedaerialvehiclestoconductreconnaissanceworkonhigh-valueortightlydefensivetargets,soastoreducetheriskofcasualtiesorbeingcaptured.TheRPV(RemotelyPilotedVehicle)developedbytheU.S.militaryduringtheVietnamWar,thatis,theTeledyne-RyanAircraftCompany'sAGM-34Firebee,wasoneoftherepresentativeproductsoftheearlyunmannedaircraft.Inaddition,theD-12triplesonicunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftcarriedbytheA-12reconnaissanceaircraftisanotherveryspecialbutunsuccessfulattempt.
Inthe1950s,theU.S.DepartmentofDefensemodifiedafewQH-50helicoptersoftheDASHprogramtoserveasareconnaissancemissioninVietnam.Inaddition,from1965to1967,Japanpurchasedatotalof20QH-50sfromtheUnitedStatesanddeployedthemonshipsoftheMaritimeSelf-DefenseForce.
In1982,IsraelAviationIndustryCorporation(IAI)pioneeredtheuseofdronesforothermilitarymissions.DuringtheGalileePeaceOperation(LebanonWar),theScoutUAVsystemusedtoplayanimportantcombatroleintheserviceoftheIsraeliArmyandtheIsraeliAirForce.TheIsraelDefenseForcesmainlyusedronesforreconnaissance,intelligencecollection,trackingandcommunications.DuringOperationDesertStormin1991,theU.S.militaryoncelaunchedaspeciallydesignedsmalldroneasadecoytodeceiveenemyradarsystems.
Thefirstgenerationwasdominatedbyreconnaissanceaircraft.Inthe21stcentury,someUAVshavebeenequippedwithweapons(forexample,theRQ-1PredatorisequippedwithAGM-114Hellfireair-to-surfacemissiles).
Israelisattheforefrontoftheworldinthedevelopmentandapplicationofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Sincethe1970s,IsraelhasindependentlydevelopedorcooperatedwiththeUnitedStates,Switzerlandandothercountriestodevelopthreegenerationsofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,namelythefirstgenerationof"reconnaissancesoldiers",thesecondgenerationof"pioneers","prowlers",andthethirdgeneration."Searcher","Hound","Heron"and"Eyes"etc.Theseunmannedreconnaissanceaircrafthaveanactiverangeofabout100km,upto1000km,andhavealifetimerangingfrom4hto40h.Theyareequippedwithdifferentreconnaissanceequipmentandcanperformphotographicreconnaissance,televisionreconnaissance,infraredimagingreconnaissanceorelectronicreconnaissance.Theinformationobtainedcanbetransmittedbacktothegroundcommandcenterdirectlyorviaradiorelayinrealtime.
TheUnitedStatesattachesgreatimportancetothedevelopmentoflong-endurance,unmannedreconnaissanceaircraftcommontothethreeservices,anditstechnologyisattheworld'sleadinglevel.AccordingtotheU.S.military'sunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftdevelopmentplan,thefocusisonthedevelopmentoflong-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.The"Neusquito750"and"Predator"medium-altitudelong-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircrafthavebeensuccessfullydeveloped."Neus750"and"Predator"aremedium-altitudelong-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,withaflighttimeofupto40hours,andcanpatroloverthetargetformorethan20hours.Theaircraftisequippedwithadvancedphotoelectricreconnaissanceequipment,electronicreconnaissanceequipmentanddatatransmissionequipment."Nanomosquito75"hascarriedoutseveralIOreconnaissanceandsurveillanceflightsduringtheconflictinBosniaandHerzegovina,providingclearreportstokeepabreastofchangesinthetheatersituationandformulaterelevantpolicies.InthelatterpartoftheBosnia-HerzegovinaWarandtheKosovoWar,"Predators"weresenttothebattlefieldtoperformreconnaissancemissions.The"GlobalHawk"isahigh-altitudelong-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.
TheEuropeanDefenseAgencyundertheEuropeanCommissionhelditsexecutivecommitteeinBrussels,Belgium,onNovember19,2013.EightcountriesincludingBritain,France,Germany,Greece,Spain,Italy,theNetherlandsandPolandwerepresentatthemeetingDuringthisperiod,aplantocooperateinthedevelopmentofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwassigned.
The"EuropeanDefenseAgency"consultedmultipledefenseministersbeforetheexecutivecommitteeconvened,andconductedresearchontheresearchanddevelopmentofequipmentneededforfutureEuropeandefense.FrenchDefenseMinisterJean-YvesLeDrianrevealedthatthedevelopmentofaEuropeanunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftinthenexttenyearswaslistedasa"toppriority"bymultipledefenseministers."EuropeanDefenseAgency"officialPeteHundsaidatapressconferenceheldthatdaythattheopinionsoftheEU'sdefenseministersindicatethatthetimeforlaunchingtheEuropean"RemoteControlAircraftSystem"(RPAS)isripe.
EuropeandefenseexpertsbelievethatEuropehasfallenbehindtheUnitedStates,Israelandothercountriesinthisfield.Asof2013,theUnitedStatesandIsraelhavereliedontheirfirst-moverscientificresearchadvantagestooccupymostoftheUAVmarket,andEuropemustcatchup.InJune2013,the"EuropeanDefenseAgency"notifiedaviationgiantsinFrance,Italyandothercountriestoacceleratethedevelopmentofdrones.
EuropeandefenseexpertspointedoutthatGermanyandFrance,thetwoleadingEUleaders,haverecognizedtheimportanceofdrones.TheunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftintroducedbyGermanyfromIsraelhasalreadyperformedmissionsinAfghanistan,andtheunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftimportedbyFrancefromtheUnitedStateshaveparticipatedinmilitaryoperationsinMali.GermanyandFrancesignedanagreementearliertostrengthentheirtechnicalcooperationintheaviationfieldwithaviewtoreducingtheirdependenceontheUnitedStates,Israelandothercountriesondrones.
"EuropeanDefenseAgency"analysispointedoutthatEuropeisexpectedtoindependentlydevelopmedium-rangeunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftaround2020.WhenthemediaherereportedthatBritain,France,Germanyandothereightcountriescooperatedinthedevelopmentofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,theyusedthe"droneclub"todescribetheeightcountries'plans.Observersherebelievethatthemainpurposeoftheplanisto"checkandbalance"theUnitedStatesandIsrael,withaviewtotakingashareofthedronemarketinthefuture.
Accordingtotheinformationprovidedbythe"EuropeanDefenseAgency",unmannedreconnaissanceaircraftcanbeusednotonlyformilitarypurposes,butalsoforbordercontrol,firemonitoring,disasterpreventionandcontrol,etc.
InadditiontotheUnitedStatesandIsrael,themilitaryofsomecountriesisalsoequippedwithunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Forexample,theBritish"phoenix",Russia's"Figure1243",the"Breville"jointlydevelopedbyGermanyandFrance,SouthAfrica's"Vulture"andotherunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,andCanada'sCL-227unmannedreconnaissancehelicopter.
Keytechnology
Pneumatictechnology
Asfutureunmannedreconnaissanceaircrafthavespecialrequirementsforflightperformanceandradarreflectionarea,variousadvancedtechnologiesarerequiredTheresearchofaerodynamiclayoutisparticularlyimportant,andbecausetheunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftdoesnotneedtoconsiderfactorssuchaspilots,itcanadoptamoreradicalaerodynamiclayoutthanamannedreconnaissanceaircraft,suchasahighlyunstabletaillesslayout.
Powertechnology
Unmannedreconnaissanceaircraftinthe21stcenturygenerallyrequirelongrange,sohigh-efficiencypowertechnologymustbeused.Inaddition,newlightandhigh-efficiencyfuelscanbedeveloped,suchashigh-efficiencyaviationkeroseneandtheuseofsolarenergyaspower.Forexample,the"Apollo"solar-poweredunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftbeingtestedintheUnitedStates.Itusesnewthrustvectoringandsplitaileronsthatcanbematchedwiththeaerodynamiclayoutoftheairframeforflightcontrol.Thereisalsoajetmulti-axisthrustvectoringtechnology,whichcontrolstheflightattitudeanddirectionbycontrollingtheenginetothejetdirectionatthenozzle..Thistechnologyeliminatesthemovingpartsofthepreviousmechanicalthrustvectoringdevice,notonlymakesthefixednozzlelighter,butalsoreducestheradarcrosssectioninappearance,andcanquicklyreducethenozzletemperaturetoweakentheinfraredsignal.
Communicationtechnology
Thedatalinktechnologyofbroadbandandbigdataflowcanenableunmannedreconnaissanceaircrafttotransmitinformationquicklyoverlongdistances.Theimplementationofsuper-toughlickinggiantcontrolisakeytechnologyforthedevelopmentofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Ifreal-timecommunicationorreliableoperationisnotpossibleundertheconditionoflong-distanceorenemyinterference,informationcannotbesenttothecommandandcontrolcenter,andinstructionscannotbesenttotheunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftthatisunderinvestigation,humanscannotplayaroleinit,andunmannedreconnaissanceThemachinewillloseitsadvantage.
Launchandrecovery
Inthe21stcentury,thelaunchandrecoveryofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftarerequiredtobemoreconvenient.Theydonotrelyonrunwaytakeoffandlanding,andunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwillhavegreatercompetitiveness.Therefore,whetherthezero-lengthlaunchtechnologyandsaferecoverytechnologyoflargeunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftcanachievebreakthroughsisofgreatsignificance.
Miniaturization
Electronicequipmentwillbemoreadvancedandminiaturized,suchastheuseofembeddedsensorstoachieve3600cognitivecapabilities,throughtheuseofsyntheticapertureradar,lowinterceptionratecommunicationsTheequipmentwillimprovetheunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft'sabilitytograspthebattlefieldsituationandincreaseitsanti-jammingcapability.
Classicaircraftfromvariouscountries
China
Non-reconnaissance-5unmannedlong-rangereconnaissanceaircraft:Non-reconnaissance-5(alsoCalledWZ-5)UAVisanunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftstillinservicewiththeChinesePeople’sLiberationArmyAirForce.Asearlyasthe1960s,theChinesePeople’sLiberationArmyAirForceshotdownseveralFirebee-typeunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftundertheUSStrategicAirForceCommandwhentheywereperformingreconnaissancemissionstomainlandChina.Atleastonewasseizedfairlywellandsenttoresearchinstitutionsforanalysisandimitation.BeijingUniversityofAeronauticsandAstronauticsrepaireda"Firebee"droneandsuccessfullyreturnedittothebluesky.Inthelate1970s,Chinabegantoimitatethe"Firebee"UAVandnameditWZ-5UAV,anditsexportmodelwasnamedCH-1("Changhong"-1).TheWZ-5UAViscarriedandlaunchedbyaparentaircraft.TheparentaircraftwasoriginallyaspeciallymodifiedTu-4"Bull"bomber,andlateritwaschangedtotheYun-8EtransportaircraftproducedbyXi’anAircraftCompany.Thisdroneisrecoveredbyaparachute.TheNon-Reconnaissance-5UAVwasusedintheSino-Vietnameseself-defensecounterattackin1979,anditisstilltheonlylong-rangeunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftinservicewiththeChinesePeople’sLiberationArmyAirForce.
Accordingtothelatestreports,animprovedWZ-5/CH-1UAVhasenteredactiveservice.Thisnewtypeofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftissaidtobeequippedwithaglobalpositioningsystemandaninertialnavigationsystem.ThisUAVusesaWP-11turbojetenginewithathrustof8.33kN.Thismachinecancarryequipmentsuchasoptics,TV,infraredcameraandsoon.
TheperformancedataofWZ-5areasfollows:wingspan9.76meters;captain8.97meters;aircraftheight2.18meters;emptyweight1060kg;maximumtake-offweight1700kg;missionequipment65kg;fuelweight62kg;Themaximumspeedis800kilometersperhour(atanaltitudeof17,500meters);therangeis2500kilometers;theenduranceis3hours;themaximumflyingaltitudeis17,500meters.
Non-reconnaissance-9/-2000:Thefuturestealthunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,attheZhuhaiAirShowin2000,China’sNationalGuizhouAviationIndustryGroupfirstdemonstrateditslong-rangeFunctionalstealthunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftWuzhen-9(alsoknownasWZ-9orWZ-2000).Itisestimatedthatthiskindofunmannedaerialvehiclepoweredbyafan-jetenginehasbeendevelopedsincethemid-1990s,andaprototypemayhavebeentested.
AttheZhuhaiAirShowin2002,GuizhouAviationIndustryGroupexhibitedamorerefinedWZ-9/-2000UAVmodel,whichrevealedmoredetails.Fromtheoveralldesign,ithasmanyinvisiblefeaturessimilartoAmericanproducts.Thelargeheadprotrusioncanaccommodatesatellitecommunicationantennasforreal-timetransmissionofimagesandelectronicintelligencedatatothegroundcontrolcenter.
Thisunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftcanbeequippedwithvarioustypesofopticalandthermalimagingcamerasorreconnaissanceandsurveillanceradars,andcanalsobeusedasanaerialplatformforelectroniccountermeasuresandairborneearlywarning.Itmayalsocarryweaponsforgroundattacks,astheUSAirForcedidinthewaronterrorisminAfghanistan.AlthoughthistypeofUAVcannotbecomparedwiththeU.S.Army’s“GlobalHawk”UAVandhasnostrategicsignificance,itcanplayaroleasareconnaissancesatelliteandperformelectronicwarfare/Electroniccountermeasuremission.
Tianchihigh-altitudeunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,"Skywing"UAV,alsoknownas"Tianyi-3"UAV."Tianyi3"isashort-rangereconnaissanceUAVsystemusedtoperformtacticalreconnaissanceandsurveillancetasksduringwartime.Thereconnaissanceinformationobtainedistransmittedtothegroundsurveyingandmappingstationinrealtime,providingintelligencesupportfortherapidmobileoperationsofthetroops,andconductingpatrolsandsurveillanceinpeacetime.Servingtheborderandcoastaldefenses.Inferredfromitslayout,sizeandappearancecharacteristics,theaircraftshouldbeanunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwithhighaltitudeandlongendurance.TheoverallconceptissimilartotheUS"GlobalHawk".Thewhitefairingofthenoseisestimatedtobeasatellitecommunicationantenna,whichisusedtoensurethatthegroundtargetinformationcollectedbytheaircraftcanbetransmittedtothesatelliteinrealtimeandatahighspeed,andsentbacktothegroundreceivingdevicethroughthesatelliterelay.
Israel
"Searcher"unmannedreconnaissanceaircraft:Israel'sthird-generationunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwillreplacethe"reconnaissance"droneAsthestandardequipmentoftheIsraeliarmy.Theuppersingle-wingstructureisadopted,andtheengineisplacedabovethetailofthefuselageandispropelledbyathree-bladepropeller.Thehorizontaltailisfixedontwobeamsextendingbackwardfromthetailofthefuselage,andtheslightlyinwardlyinclineddoubleverticaltailsareinstalledatbothendsofthetail.Thelandinggearisthefirstthree-pointtype,whichcanrolloffandlandonflatgroundorontherunway.Whennecessary,apneumaticcatapultorboosterrocketcanbeusedtohelptakeoff.Thelengthis5.15m,theheightis1.16m,thewingspanis7.22m,themaximumtake-offweightis372kg,thepayloadis63kg,theflyingheightis4575m,andtheflyingspeedis111}194km1h.Thereconnaissanceflighttimeperdispatchcanbeupto12h(flyingaltitude3050m,100kmawayfromthebase),andthelongestemptytimeis14h.Theactiveradiusofreconnaissanceflightis220kmwhenthereisaradiorelay,and120kmwhenthereisnorelay.oAirborneThephotoelectricreconnaissanceequipmentincludesaTVcamera,aforward-lookinginfraredinstrument,alasertargetindicator,andalaserrangefinder,whichareinstalledinarotatablesphericalshellatthelowerpartofthefuselage,withanazimuthangleof3600andanelevationangleof+10-10100.Dependingonwhetherthereconnaissancemissionorthetimeofthemissionisdayornight,thesedevicescanhavedifferentcombinations.Therearedatatransmissionequipmentonboard,whichcantransmittheimagesobtainedbyreconnaissancebacktothegroundstationinrealtime.
UnitedStates
"GlobalHawk"unmannedreconnaissanceaircraft:Ahigh-altitude,high-speed,long-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftdevelopedbytheUnitedStates.Itismainlyusedforlarge-scalecontinuousreconnaissanceandsurveillanceinlow-andmedium-intensityconflicts.Ithasalengthof13.4m,awingspanof35.5m,amaximumtake-offweightof11610kg,amaximumfuelloadof6577kg,andapayloadof900kg.Aturbofanengineisplacedabovethefuselage,withamaximumflightspeedof740km/h,acruisingspeedof635km/h,arangeof26000km,andabatterylifeof42h.ItcantakeofffromtheUnitedStatesandreachanylocationintheworldforreconnaissance,orcontinuouslyreconnaissanceandsurveillanceoveratarget5500kmawayfromthebasefor24hours,andthenreturntothebase.Theaircraftisequippedwiththreetypesofreconnaissanceequipment:syntheticapertureradar,TVcamera,andinfrareddetector,aswellasdefensiveelectroniccountermeasureequipmentanddigitalcommunicationequipment.Thedetectionrangeofsyntheticapertureradaris20-200km,anditcanmonitoranareaof1.374x105km2inaday,andtheimageresolutionis0.9m,whichcandistinguishcarsandtrucks;orcarefullyobserve1900suspiciousareasof2kmx2km.Theresolutionis0.3m,whichcandistinguishbetweenstationaryandmovingtargets.TheTVcameraisusedtotakepicturesofthetarget,andtheimageresolutionisclosetothelevelofthephotographicfilm.Infrareddetectorscanfindcamouflagedtargetsanddistinguishbetweenmovingtargetsandstationarytargets.Thetargetimageobtainedbythereconnaissanceequipmentistransmittedtothegroundstationinrealtimeatarateof50Mb/sthroughsatellitecommunicationormicrowaverelaycommunication.Afterinformationprocessing,theintelligenceissenttothetheaterorbattlefieldcommandcenterfordecision-makingorbattlefielddamageassessmentforthecommander.Provideinformation.
Supersonicunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft:AnewtypeofsupersonicunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftdevelopedbytheU.S.DepartmentofDefense.Thespeedofthisreconnaissanceaircraftwillreach6timesthespeedofsoundandwillItwillbetestedinthenextactualcombatmilitaryexerciseanditisexpectedtocreateanewunmannedflightrecord.TheU.S.DepartmentofDefensewillexplainthevariousequipmentoftheprototypeinapublicstatement.Infact,theU.S.DepartmentofDefensehasconductedthisresearchfordecades,becausethisreconnaissanceaircraftwillbecomea"all-rounder"withspacereconnaissance,supersonicreconnaissanceaircraftmannedflight,ultra-high-speedmissilesormilitaryaircraft,etc.Function.Anditispreciselybecauseofitsultra-hightechnicalcontentthatmakesthisresearchverydifficult.Atthesametime,theexistingU.S.reconnaissanceaircraftcannolongermeetthedemand.TheSR-71"Blackbird"strategicreconnaissanceaircraft,althoughtheflightspeedandaltitudemeettherequirements,hasalimitedtimeintheairandcannotcontinuetoconductreconnaissanceandsurveillance.Thecostwastoohigh,soitwasretiredfromactiveserviceinthe1990s.
Suchapowerfulperformancemakesitdifficultfortheengineersresponsibleforthedesignofthisreconnaissanceaircraft.Thegoalofonly6timesthespeedofsoundisdifficulttoachieve,becauseitisdifficultforengineerstoensurethatatsuchahighspeed,withtheexistingtechnicalconditions,itispossibletoensurethatthefuselageoftheaircraftwillnotdisintegrate.Anotherthornyissueisthepoweroftheaircraft.Sincethe20thcentury,thereconnaissanceaircraftstillusesordinaryturbojetengines.Thistimethedesignersplantoaddanotherengine.This"ultrasonicoxidationjetpropulsionengine"willhavenomovablepartsandallowtheaircrafttoflyathighspeeds.Abletogaintremendousmomentum.Ontheotherhand,thedesignersintendtousehydrogenasafuel,butthisrequiresahugegastank,andifthevolumeistoolarge,itwillaffectthespeed.Therefore,engineersturnedtothedual-oxygenjetpropulsionengine.
PhantomRayUnmannedReconnaissanceAircraft:AtaceremonyheldinSt.LouisonMay10,2010,BoeingunveileditsAdvancedUnmannedAerialSystem(UAS)——Themysteryof"PhantomRay"."PhantomRay"hasawingspanof50feet(approximately15meters),afuselagelengthof36feet(approximately11meters),andaweightof36,500pounds(approximately16,556kilograms).Itsflyingaltitudecanreach40,000feet(about12,192meters),whichis10,000feet(about3048meters)higherthanordinarylong-distancecommercialairliners;itscruisingspeedexceedsthespeedofsoundandcanreach614milesperhour(0.8Mach,abouteach988kilometersperhour).
"PhantomRay"isademonstrationaircraftdesignedtoserveasaflyingtestplatformtoexploreopportunitiesforfuturetechnologyresearchanddevelopment.ItwasdevelopedbyBoeingPhantomandisbasedonaprototypeoriginallydevelopedbyBoeingfortheUSmilitary.Intermsofdesign,the"PhantomRay"hasanextremelylowradarcrosssection,allowingittosneakintotheenemy'sairspacewithoutbeingdetected.Itsengineishiddeninthebodytoreduceinfraredcharacteristicsandcanlaunchmissilesduringflight.Likeanyweapon,the"phantomray"willonlybeusedwhenneeded.
Boeing’sDefense,Space,andSecuritySystemsCEODennisMyilenburgsaid:“Asatestingplatformforadvancedtechnologies,"PhantomRay"canprovideourcustomerswithavarietyofoptions,suchasintelligencecollection,Surveillanceandreconnaissance,suppressionofenemyairdefensefirepower,electronicattacksandself-propelledaerialrefueling-thepossibilitiesareendless."
Througharapidprototypingandmanufacturingprocess,Boeingdevelopeditinjusttwoyears"PhantomRay"comesout.Theunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwillbetestedinthesummerof2010,andwillmakeitsfirstflightinDecember,andwillmake10flightswithinsixmonths.DarrylDavis,presidentofBoeingPhantomFactory,said:“Wehaveenteredthefastlaneandthefirstflightisjustaroundthecorner.”“PhantomRay”isdesignedtoactasanadvancedtechnologytestplatformwhilesupportingintelligencecollection,surveillance,andreconnaissance.Suppressenemyairdefensefirepower,electronicattacks,airstrikesandself-propelledaerialrefuelingtasks.
Japan
TheMinistryofDefenseofJapanplanstodevelopadomesticUAVequippedwithhigh-sensitivityinfraredsensorstoenhanceitsearlydetectionofballisticmissiles.
ItisreportedthattheMinistryofDefenseplanstoapplyfor3billionyen(approximatelyUS$37.3million)inthe2013budgetforthe"aircraftdronesysteminthenextfouryears.Research".TheMinistryofDefenseplanstocarryoutthebasicdesignoftheUAVtestmachine.Afterthetestmachineiscompleted,thestrengthtestwillbecarriedout,anditwillbeputintousein2020.
Theunmannedaerialvehicletobedevelopedwillflyatanaltitudeof13,500meters.Itcandetectlow-altitudemovingobjectsfromtheseanearJapanandcansailcontinuouslyfor22hours.AfterJapandeploysUAVs,itcandetectthelaunchofballisticmissilesearlierthanground-basedradars,anditcanalsotrackthemissilesafterlaunching.
ThecurrentmissiledetectionsystemoftheMinistryofDefenseofJapanismainlycomposedofgroundradarandAegisships.Inaddition,theearlywarningsatellitesoftheUSmilitaryalsoprovideintelligencetoJapan.However,systemssuchasradarcanonlydetectthetargetobjectafteritreachesacertainheight.
TheMinistryofDefenseofJapanplanstodevelopthefirsttestmachineofanunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftfrom2013.Afterthetestmachineiscompleted,thesystemwillbeenhancedonthisbasis.MinistryofDefenseofficialssaidthatthehigh-sensitivityinfrareddetectionsystemhasbeendevelopedandrelatedtechnologiesarebasicallyinplace.
TheJapanesegovernmentoncehopedtopurchasetheUSGlobalHawkunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft,butithasnotreceivedapositiveresponsefromtheUS,soithasbecomeachoiceoftheJapanesegovernmenttoindependentlydevelopanewdomesticdrone.
Thenewsshowsthatifthislong-termairborneunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftissuccessfullydeveloped,itwillnotonlybeabletodrivedirectlyintoNorthKoreaandRussia,butalsobeconnectedtothegroundradarsystemtodetectballisticmissilesattackingJapaninadvance.Andeffectivelyimplementinterception.Atthesametime,thetrajectoryofanartificialsatellitesimilartothatofNorthKorea'slaunchcanalsobeaccuratelygrasped.
SouthKorea
SouthKorea’sMinistryofDefenserecentlystatedthatNorthKorea’s"provocativethreat"stillexistsandisveryimportantforNorthKoreaninvestigations.TheMinistryofNationalDefenseisadvancingaplantoincreasethedronebudgetto35billionwon.TheSouthKoreanmilitaryintendstocompletetheresearchanddevelopmentoftheUAVsystemby2017andformallydeployitin2018.
Comparedwiththe"KingKong"and"Whitehead"reconnaissanceaircraftcurrentlyusedinSouthKorea,theUAVhasthecharacteristicsoflongbatterylifeandstrongstealth,butithasbetterperformancethantheUS"GlobalHawk"UAV.Slightlyweaker.
SouthKoreanmilitaryofficialssaidthatKorean-mademid-altitudeUAVsand"GlobalHawk"UAVscancooperatetobuildathree-dimensionalreconnaissancesystem.TheformercanbedeployednearthearmisticelinetocentrallymonitorthemovementoftheNorthKoreanarmyonthefrontline,whilethelattercanbeusedforinvestigationintherearoftheNorthKoreanarmy."UAVsarealsooneofthenecessaryconditionsforSouthKoreatobuilda'killchain'againstNorthKorea'snuclearandmissileattacks,"theofficialemphasized.
UnitedKingdom
The"phoenix"unmannedreconnaissanceaircraft:the"phoenix"unmannedaerialvehicleisakindofmediumdevelopedbytheBritishcompanyMarconiChengunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Theairframeismadeofcompositematerials,modularstructure,propulsionwingandtailbeam,replaceablewing,verticaltailwingtip,etc.Theaircrafthasgoodstealthperformance,highsurvivability,andiseasytomaintainandtransportonthebattlefield.Themaximumoperatingheightis2440m,thereconnaissanceradiusis60km,andthefieldofviewis800km2ataheightof1000m.Itsmainpurposeistoprovidereconnaissancephotosanddataforartilleryinterceptors.Theaircraftisequippedwithadvancedinfraredsensors,syntheticapertureradarandelectronicwarfaresystems.Afterthefirst"Pheasant"UAVwastestedinCanada,theBritishArmyreassessedthecombatneedsoftheUAVandmadefurtherimprovementstotheMarconi"Pheasant"UAV.Improvementsinclude:addingsyntheticapertureradars,radiorelaystations,lasertargetindicationsforguidedweapons,andremotelandminedetectiondevices,includingnewmissionloads.
FormerSovietUnion
Picturea243unmannedreconnaissanceaircraft:ItisaUAVfromPicturea143bytheformerSovietUnionTupolevDesignBureauin1982.Improved.Itismainlyusedforairreconnaissanceinthebattledepthof150km,especiallyintheairdefensezoneoftheenemy'sairdefenseweaponsandpossiblenuclear,chemicalandbiologicalweaponscontaminatedareas,dayandnightairreconnaissanceunderanyclimaticconditions.Itcaneffectivelydiscovertheenemy’simportanttargets,suchasnuclearartillerybatteries,surface-to-surfacemissiles,airdefensemissiles,andtransportationhubs,positionsandtroopassemblyareas,anddivisioncommandposts.Thereconnaissanceintelligenceobtainedandrecordedwillbereceived,processed,anddecodedonthereconnaissanceaircraftandonthegroundinatimelymannertoidentifytargetsanddeterminetheircoordinates,makephotographicdocumentsandtransmitintelligence.
ThenavigationsystemofFigure1243canensurethatitfliesaccordingtothescheduledroute,accuratelyentersthereconnaissancearea,andreturnstolandaftercompletingthemission.Thereplaceablereconnaissanceequipmentcabinisinstalledinthenosepart.Itcanbeequippedwithtwotypesofreconnaissanceequipment:oneisAP-402Matmosphericcamerawith"Winter-M"infraredreconnaissanceequipment,andtheotheriswith"Crane-M',AP-402MatmosphericcameraequipmentforTVsystem.Whenperformingreconnaissancemissions,photographicandinfraredreconnaissanceintelligenceisrecordedontheUAVinFigure1.Theintelligenceobtainedthroughinfraredandtelevisionwillbesenttothegroundreceivingstationbyradio,andthereceivedsignalwillbeconvertedintoa475pxwideimage.Whenusingradiotransmission,theacquisitiontimeofthefirstbatchofreconnaissanceintelligenceis10tnin,andthetimeforsendingatmosphericphotographicfilmtothemobilereceivingstationis20min.Theaccuracyofthetargetcoordinatesis60}70m,andthereconnaissanceareaofonesortieisapproximately2100km.
Turkey
Theunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft"Anka"hassuccessfullycompletedvariousexperimentsandtestflightsonFebruary18,2011.Thisunmannedaerialvehicle,named"Anka",wasdevelopedby180Turkishexpertsandtechnicians.Thisunmannedreconnaissancedronecanflycontinuouslyfor24hours.Flyingatanaltitudeof30,000meters.Inaddition,theUAVcancarryaloadof200kgandcantakeoffandlandinvariousweatherconditions.Itsurpassedthe"Heron"unmannedreconnaissanceaircraftpurchasedfromIsraelineveryrespect.
TheadvancedunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftthathavecompletedvarioustestswillfirstbeusedtocombatterroristorganizationsinsoutheasternTurkey,thusendingthehistoryofrentingandpurchasingdronesfromIsraeltocombatterroristforces.Thereportalsopointedoutthatin2011,5"Anka"UAVswillbeproduced,andby2012,thenumberofUAVsofthistypewillreach20.
French-Germancooperation
"LUNA"short-rangeunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft:Equippedin3KZOtargetpositioningdronecompanies.Asanexperimentalsystem,LunaX2000hasbeenusedinKosovoandMacedonia.The"MoonGod"mustbeequippedwithabrigade-levelcommandforclosereconnaissance.Thereconnaissancedistanceof"LunarGod"isabout40kilometers,andtheendurancetimeis2hours.Ataspeedofabout70km/h(speedisrelatedtowind),thereconnaissancealtitudeis300-500meters.Theaircraftisequippedwithdaytimesensorsandinfraredsensors,soitcanperformtasksdayandnight.Theflightprogramenteredbeforethereconnaissancemissioncanbemodifiedatanytimeduringthemission.Fromthebeginningof2003to2004,emergencyprocurement,3setsof"Lunar"systems(oneofwhichwaspurchasedforspecialoperationsdivisions):thereisstillaneedforthissystemintermsoforganization.
KZOtargetpositioningUAV,thedevelopmentplanofKZOUAVwasoriginallynegotiatedbytheMinistryofNationalDefenseofFranceandGermany.Germanyshares60%oftheresearchanddevelopmentcosts,andFranceshares40%.ThemanufactureristheEuropeanUAVCompany,whichproducedaprototypeandverifieditin1992.However,duetolackoffunds,FrancecancelleditsplantopurchaseKZOdrones.Sincethen,thedevelopmentoftheKZOUAVhasbecomeaseparateprojectcontractedbyGermany.RelevantfundsinGermanyarealsoabsentfromtimetotime,whichsloweddownthedevelopmentofthelatterpartofKZO,andthestraightforwardtestingwasdelayeduntil1998.TheKZOUAVhasundergonesystemtestsintheGermanArmy'sSpecialForcesandArtilleryUnits.Theentiretestwasbasicallycompletedinearly2004,andthenbegandeployment.Bythebeginningof2007,sixKZOUAVsystemshadenteredservicewithfourartillerycompaniesintheGermanArmy.
KZOUAVisanartillerytargetpositioningUAV.Itsmainmissionistodetect,identifyandcaptureenemylong-rangefiretargets,includinglong-rangeartillery,rocketlaunchersandtacticalmissilepositions.Thelauncherisarrangedonaflat-panellaunchvehicle,whichusesrocketpowertoboostthelaunch.Afterthelaunch,theboosterwasthrownaway,andatthesametimetheon-boardpistonenginebegantoworktoensuretheflightpoweroftheUAV.KZOUAVhasgoodstealthability,radarreflectioncrosssectionandinfraredsignalareverysmall.Front-viewinginfraredcameraandsurveillanceTVarethemainequipmentofKZO.Thedataandtargetimagesobtainedbyitaretransmittedtothegroundcommandinrealtimethroughthedatalink.Ithasalengthof2.3meters,aheightof900mm,awingspanof3.4meters,amaximumtake-offweightof150kg,abatterylifeof5.5hours,aceilingof4000meters,acruisingspeedof150km/h,amaximumflyingspeedof220km/h,andamaximumrangeof120km..
TheoversizedsystemmaybethemaindisadvantageoftheKZOUAVsystem.Inadditionto10KZOUAVs,eachsystemalsoincludes2groundstations,1commandvehicle,1launchvehicle,1sparevehicle,1maintenancevehicleanddatalinkterminal.Thepreparationtimeofthewholesystemisabout30minutes,andthelayoutareaisabout10,000squaremeters.
CL-289program-controlledUAV,CL-289canprovideaccuratebattlefieldsituation,targetandshootingeffectreconnaissanceresultswithinadistanceof170kilometers.Theflightspeedisabout740km/h,anditsailsabout400kilometers(round-tripdistance)within30minutesofendurance.Theaircraftisequippedwithinfraredsensorsanddayandnightsensors,sotheaircraftisnotrestrictedfordayandnightuse.Therangeofthesensoriscurrentlylimitedto12kilometers.Inanimprovementplantoimprovecombateffectiveness,byincreasingtheflightdistanceandthedetectiondistanceofsensors,thereconnaissancecapabilitywillonceagainbesignificantlyimproved.Inaddition,throughtheuseofradarsensors,thereconnaissancecapabilityundersevereweatherconditionswillbesignificantlyimproved.
Developmenttrend
Thecombatmissionofunmannedreconnaissanceaircrafthasexpandedfromtacticaltooperationalandstrategicscope,andhasgraduallyreplacedmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Inthe21stcentury,theUnitedStateshaslistedlong-endurancedronesasadevelopmentfocus.Inadditiontoputtingintoproductionalargenumberofmedium-altitudelong-endurancedrones"Predator"thatwillserveasa"transitional"role,theUnitedStatesisalsoactivelydevelopingandimprovingitscombatcapabilities.Type"Predator"B,replacethehigh-powerpropellantengine,increasethespeed(370-426km/h),increasetheceiling(12000m)andload(308kg),andfurtherexpandthereconnaissanceandcombatsurvivabilityofthe"Predator".
Theverticaltake-offandlandingunmannedaerialvehicle(VTUAV)willreplacethefixed-wingunmannedaerialvehicle.Existingfixed-wingUAVshavecomplextake-offandlandingproceduresonships,lowtargetpositioningaccuracy,highaccidentrates,anddifficultyinfulfillingcombatrequirements.Theverticaltake-offandlandingUAVhaslowrequirementsfortake-offandlandingconditions.Itcantakeoffandlandfromoffshoreplatformsandonlandundercomplexterrainandgroundconditions,andissuitableforship-borne,urbanandmountainousconditions.
Thedevelopmentofmicrounmannedreconnaissanceaircraftisrapid,andtheUAVequipmentwillbeextendedtothelowerlevel.Inordertomeettheneedsoffuturespecialoperationsandurbanoperations,thepaceofminiaturizationofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftisprogressingrapidly.Forexample,after2005,"handhelddrones"using"nano"technologywillbeequippedwithUSspecialforces,andtheequipmentlevelofthedroneswillextendtosquads,groups,andindividualsoldiersbelowthebattalion.Thiskindofdroneisdifficulttodetectwithradarorinfraredsensors,anditfliesveryquietly,makingitimpossibleforpeopletofeelitsexistence.
Themissionequipmentofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftisdevelopinginthedirectionofall-weather,high-resolution,long-distance,miniaturization,modularization,andlowcost.UAVsinthe21stcenturywillusehigh-definitiondigitaltelevisiontoreplacethecurrentstandardtelevision.Digitalcameraswithquasi-real-timetransmissionwillreplacefilmaerialreconnaissancecameras.Thethird-generationforward-lookinginfraredinstrumentwithhighresolution,highsensitivity,noscanningimaging,orevencooling,willbewidelyusedonUAVs.High-resolution,long-range,multi-mode,andminiaturizedsyntheticapertureradarwillbeusedonvarioustypesofUAVs.TheUAV'sall-weatherreconnaissancecapabilitiesandtheabilitytorecognizecamouflagedtargetswillbefurtherenhanced.Duetotechnologicalprogress,thecostofmissionequipmentforunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwillalsobereduced,makingitpossibletoequipalargenumberoftroops.
Themeasurementandcontroltransmissionsystemoftheunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftisdevelopinginthedirectionoflong-distance,securityandconfidentiality,generalization,digitization,andnetworking.Inthe21stcentury,theover-the-horizonlong-distancemeasurementandcontroltransmissionsystemusingsatelliterelayshasbecomemorematureandcommoninlong-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Themeasurementandcontrolstationforunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwillbeserializedanduniversal.Theinteroperabilityofthereconnaissanceinformationofvarioustypesofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraftwillbesolved.Bythen,thesamegroundstationcanbeusedtocontroldifferenttypesofUAVsordifferentgroundstationscanbeusedtoreceivedatafromthesameUAV.TheintelligenceinformationobtainedbyUAVsusedbyvariousservicesandarmswillbeintegratedintotheC'ISRnetworktorealizeresourcesharing.
Stealthtechnologyiswidelyusedtofurtherimprovethestealthperformanceofunmannedreconnaissanceaircraft.Thecombatstyleofmodernwarfarehastransformedinto"asymmetric"and"non-contact".Therefore,enhancingthestealthperformanceofUAVshasbecomeanurgentissueforthemilitaryofvariouscountriestosolve.Israelisdevelopingahigh-altitudelong-endurancestealthdrone.LockheedMartiniscurrentlysecretlydevelopingablackstealthdronefortheUSAirForce.Asof2013,thestealthtechnologyofdronesisstillinthedevelopmentstage.Continuetodeveloplong-enduranceunmannedreconnaissanceaircrafttomakeitareal-timesurveillanceplatforminthefuture.