UAS Human Factors, Ethics and Morality

    The introduction of unmanned aircraft into the battlefield has dramatically changed the future of warfare. Unmanned aircraft technology has seen tremendous growth since the humble beginnings in WWII to the current iterations of the technology. However, as with the evolution of any new technology, there are some concerns. Therefore, in order to best know if unmanned aircraft should be used for remote warfare, there are a few things that must be explored. They are the advantages as well as disadvantages of unmanned aerial combat over manned aerial combat, and the projected future of unmanned aerial systems, or UAS. It is clear that UAS platforms bring a capability to the battlefield lacking in previous generations of warfare.
    From the dawn of its existence, UAS platforms have strived to alleviate the dull, dangerous, and difficult tasks away from manned platforms. Especially of recent, with the emergence of many types of UAS platforms, we have seen a significant evolution in the operational concept of UAS platforms, giving battlefield commanders more flexibility and options. The current conflicts in which the U.S. and coalition partners engage in is a type of counter-insurgency warfare. As such the surveillance and even engagement of enemy combatants is difficult due to the limitations manned aircraft have by having a pilot in the seat. These aircraft, while highly capable war machines… are incapable of persistent stare, to include before and after enemy combatant engagement (Neil, 2011). Furthermore, the technology in the majority of the military’s UAS platforms allows commanders to reduce the decision time between target acquisition and enemy engagement. For example, during Desert Storm, it would take at least five days and multiple aircraft to detect, relay, confirm, and engage a target (Callam, 2010). Today one MQ-1 Predator could accomplish that task in 5 minutes. These are only a few of the benefits gained from UAS platforms. Despite the benefits, removing the pilot from the flight deck does not make a perfect combat platform.
    As is seen regularly on the news, UAS platforms have some downsides. One of the largest issues is the high probability for crashes. According to the Elliott school of International Affairs at George Washington University, the Predator crashes 43 times per 100K flying hours compared to typical manned aircraft which crashes 2 times per 100K (Callam, 2010). Although the price of most UAS platforms is relatively cheaper than manned aircraft; the number of crashes does end up costing the government more in the long run. Another issue plaguing, UAS platforms are the handoff or aircraft control migration issues. Most UAS platforms have the capability to be controlled via beyond-line-of-sight communication links. The issue that arises is that these links are not 100% reliable. They can be jammed or lost due to terrain or weather (Callam, 2010). In the end, as pilots transfer control of aircraft between one ground control station to another, the loss of signal can and often does lead to mishaps. However, these are all known issues and engineers are actively working to find solutions.
    One such solution is to revolutionize what a UAS is. Up until recently, UAS platforms were relatively slow, had a limited range and were barely capable of thinking and acting for themselves. A new wave of UAS platforms aims to change all of this. They are called unmanned combat aerial vehicles, or UCAVs. These new platforms are faster and smarter than the previous generation. Furthermore, these UCAVs are only the beginning. In the next few years, we may see fleets of unmanned systems designed to operate together, bridging the gap where there may be vulnerabilities. For example, a squadron of UCAVs may be flying in an area controlled by a long-endurance UAS whose mission is to bridge the potential communication link gap between the UCAVs and the satellites in orbit. If these future technologies hold true the use of unmanned aircraft for remote warfare makes sense.
    As one can imagine, the use of new technology does bring fears and concern. What we need to be most concerned with is if these fears are valid or if they are simply fears of change. Unmanned aviation is at an evolutionary crossroads, similar to manned aircraft after WWII. We have the technology and the maturity to ensure that the next 50 years sees positive growth in the variation of technological evolution.

References
Callam, A. (2010). Drone Wars: Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. International Affairs Review. George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.iar-gwu.org/node/144
Neil, G. (2011, October 8). Why the future of air power belongs to unmanned systems. Retrieved from The Economist.com: http://www.economist.com/node/21531433