The sea is a source of wealth, tightly interconnecting countries in complex and time-critical ways. With the freedom of the seas constantly under threat, maritime forces today play a key role in securing sea lanes, coasts and harbours. Air and naval forces conduct continuous airborne, sea and ground surveillance operations, but can also constitute a formidable deterrent and intervention force. They cannot bomb a country into peace, but they can pave the way for peace.
An opportunity that Europe cannot afford to waste
Future Unmanned Aerial Systems for Europe by Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of Cassidian, Munich
The history of military aviation is inextricably linked with the evolution of information procurement and the pursuit of information superiority. An increasingly essential requirement for the success of future military operations in an environment marked by asymmetrical crises and conflicts is the availability of a complete and comprehensive aerial situational picture. This picture must capture all groups – both those involved and uninvolved in the conflict – and serve as a basis for differentiating between them and identifying their actions, with a view, in turn, to deriving independent actions.
New quality of reconnaissance The growing complexity of situations means that there is an even greater need on the one hand, for this picture to be available immediately, and on the other hand, for it to be constantly updated over a longer period of time. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) increasingly provide those aerial reconnaissance, surveillance and observation capabilities. UAS can be equipped in a variety of ways and are capable of hovering over the area of interest for extended periods without, moreover, endangering pilots. Reducing the danger to staff undoubtedly leads to “better” decisions in terms of mission success, irrespective of whether the danger comes from radiation from a damaged nuclear power plant or from enemy air defence troops. UAS will play an important role in all areas of capability and
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performance in the network-centric operations of tomorrow. Within the European armed forces, however, this network will for the foreseeable future show big capability gaps that will, over the years, lead to blind spots in reconnaissance.
Lack of willingness to invest There is no denying the increasing importance of reconnaissance capabilities precisely in asymmetrical threat scenarios, yet the willingness to invest in the technologies necessary for those capabilities is stagnating in Europe, with far-reaching consequences. Military demand is nonetheless certain: UAS integrated into data and command networks will in future play a key role in resolving military crises and conflicts, which is why it is essential to make them available to the armed forces. At this point, the question arises as to how these requirements can be translated into equipment and provisions. Can and should the necessary equipment be procured as available on the market? Does the unmanned aerial component of the requested information and tactical operation network possess the desired characteristics? Or would it be better to develop the requirements into a customised solution through an industrial development process?
Dual-use products not always optimal Whether off-the-shelf products represent the more cost-effective solution, taking into account the costs over the entire
photo: Official US navy, CC BY 2.0, Flickr
Air and Sea Power
