UNCLASSIFIED

Ron Dexter

SURVICE Engineering Company

4141 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Suite 209

Dayton, OH 45431PH: (937) 431-9914

ron.dexter@survice.com

UAS Combat Threat Survivability

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Combat Threat Survivability

Abbreviated Definition: The ability to be mission capable after an encounter with a hostile threat

Requirements for UAS survivability will morph and grow as their applicability transitions from a “wingman” perspective to a “point” position

UAS survivability is not a “nice to have” The “disposable” tag is no longer applicable UAS increase survivability of assets AND individuals Commanders have come to depend on them Troops have come to depend on them

“Survivability and reliability are critical to the operational effectiveness of our UAV systems, and must be factored into their initial design”

USD(AT&L) letter 27 Jan 2005

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Survivability Onion

Avoid Detection and Acquisition

Avoid Hit

Avoid Encounter

Avoid DamageAnd Kill

Distributed Information

Networked Resources

AcousticInfrared

ElectronicObscurants

Jammers

Decoys

Signature Management & Countermeasures

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MaintainReadiness

Redundancy Hardening

Situational Awareness & Tactics

Countermeasures & Active Protection

Aim Point Bias

Battle Damage and Repair

Maneuvers

Radar

Shield Armor

Susceptibility

Vulnerability

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UAS Survivability is Challenging

Primitive threats can be lethal to some Systems are very weight sensitive Limited defensive equipment Difficult to build-in redundancy Reduced situational awareness itself Challenging ability to react to situations and damage

UAS are being engaged and damaged by traditional threats!UAS are being engaged and damaged by traditional threats!

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Effects of Attrition

A small 0.2% attrition rate results in 50% of assets lost after only 350 sorties

Ref: JAS Aircraft Survivability Journal; Fall 2008

Survivability Cost Effectiveness

SYSTEMLife Cycle

COST

COST of SURVIVABILITY FEATURES

Initial survivability enhancements save more assets than they cost, bringing down life cycle cost

Added features may reduce losses, but the number of UAS saved may not recover their cost

Survivability Trades: Finding the OPTIMUM

SURVIVABILITY INVESTMENT

X

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Items for Consideration

UAS, UAV, RPV, RPS: By whatever acronym you choose, these platforms have become an integral part of the battlefield as they support lives on the ground, sea, and air

As UAS benefits increase, so does their potential as a threat to enemy forces; thus they are being targeted just as historical manned aircraft have been

Many manned system survivability enhancement techniques and technologies are applicable to UAS as well

UAS are not always considered “disposable” as lives depend on them for key battlefield information

To be cost effective, survivability requirements must be defined in the early strategic planning stages and enforced throughout the design, and lifecycle

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Backup

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Balanced Survivability Design

Lethal Countermeasures

Minimize Exposure Warning

Anti-Radiation Missiles

Aircraft Armament

• Off-Board Cueing• Targeting Systems• Stand-Off Weapons• All Weather & Night Operations

• Platform Performance

• Radar Warning• IR Missile Launch

Sensors• Missile Attack

Warning

• Signature Reduction (RF, IR, Optical, etc.)• Electronic Noise Jamming & Deceivers• Tactics & Off-Board Support• Expendables (Chaff, Flares, Decoys)• Optical & Electro-Optical Countermeasures• Crew Skill & Experience• Situational Awareness/Networked systems

• Robust Structures• Component & Sub- system Redundancy

• Component Location

• Shielding

• Fire Detection

• Fire Suppression

• Explosion Suppression

• Eliminate Components

• Reconfigurable

COMMON

SUSCEPTIBILITY REDUCTIONVULNERABILITY

REDUCTIONThreatSuppression Detection & Engagement Avoidance

Damage Tolerance & Graceful Failure

Survivability Enhancements Must be Both Affordable & SupportableSurvivability Enhancements Must be Both Affordable & Supportable