C3I: UAVs one step closer to critical Australian role | ADM Nov 06

1 November 2006

By Ian Paterson

Defence doesn't need convincing that UAVs are important; the issue now is how best to use them, and Northrop Grumman's CWIN helped demonstrate the functionality and utility of Global Hawk Block 20.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a step closer to realising an active role in protecting Australia's borders and maritime assets.

Last month at Northrop Grumman's Cyber Warfare Integration Network (CWIN) in San Diego, RAAF and DSTO personnel put the new Block 20 Global Hawk RQ-4B through its paces in a $4.7 million simulation to demonstrate how unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can support Defence operations in the North West Shelf region.

In September General Atomics' Mariner Demonstrator UAS conducted a live trial in the actual areas of operation.

The Department of Defence is using the trials, as part of Air 7000, to assess the utility and potential of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to contribute to the protection of the North West Shelf and other maritime regions where assets of strategic national importance are located.

Critically the Department wants to see how a UAS can conduct maritime surveillance and reconnaissance while working in joint operations with the new Armidale Class Patrol Boats.

Defence will use the data gathered at the CWIN facility, together with the data received from the Mariner demonstrator trial, to increase its understanding of how UAVs could work with other Australian defence assets within the NW Shelf region.

"The aim is to demonstrate another layer of protection in a joint, integrated surveillance capability," a Defence media spokesperson said.

"Long range, high altitude UAVs are capable of providing sustained surveillance over an extensive area.

"Moreover, the UAVs can be operated remotely from a land-based control centre, which can coordinate response actions with the appropriate agencies.

"The trial will enable Defence to make a practical assessment of the utility of UAVs as a component of an integrated national surveillance network."

Defence says the NWS UAV trial was not structured to be a comparative test of the two UAV systems.

The objective it says is to evaluate the overall intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities of UAVs rather than the specific benefits of a particular model of UAV.

Thus, it says, the use of one company's UAV over another will not influence the final decision as to which UAV is ultimately chosen for service.

"Recognising the developmental status of the Mariner demonstrator, and the fact that a modeling and simulation approach will be used for determining the potential contribution of a Global Hawk capability, it would not be appropriate to use the North West Shelf trial to perform a direct detailed performance comparison on these two systems," Defence said.

Bill Sperlein, Northrop Grumman project manager for the CWIN trial, said Defence personnel and Northrop Grumman engineers had worked for months at Northrop Grumman's San Diego CWIN Node to develop the requirements for the models and simulations.

"These simulation models are physics-based to ensure that the responses and abilities of the targets and military assets reflect actual operational parameters," he said.

"For the NSW trial CWIN provided a detailed model of the NW shelf, including the location of key assets, likely maritime traffic and a range of environmental conditions."

Sperlein says the aim was to produce a real-time virtual simulation to replicate projected 2010 RQ-4B Global Hawk maritime capabilities and to showcase how Northrop Grumman's flagship UAV could work in unison with the Armidale Class Patrol Boats and other Australian land and sea platforms.

During the CWIN trial, conducted from 16 - 27 October, staff from DSTO and RAAF played active roles as part of the White/Blue teams.

Their roles included analyst, mission commander and sensor operator. Defence says the modeling and simulation exercise provided opportunities to address other scenario conditions that were not encountered during the conduct of the real world trial using General Atomics' Mariner Demonstrator UAS.

Sperlein believes the CWIN trial showcased the strengths of the Block 20 Global Hawk when operating in the often isolated and extreme regions of Australia.

"A key advantage with Global Hawk is its ability to operate well above the weather-at 65,000 feet we are above the worst of what nature has to offer and we can get to station quicker because we can elect to go above, or capitalise on, prevailing winds.

"We don't have to fight headwinds all the way.

"With more than 30 hours endurance a Global Hawk based in South Australia can readily deploy for long periods to areas in the far north or out to say Heard Island in the south.

"Most importantly, once there it can stay on station for a considerable period.

"With just a handful of Global Hawks you can keep an eye on all of Australia's interests all of the time.

"Add to this the advantages the bigger and more flexible Block 20 airframe offers for payload configuration and you have a platform that is capable of meeting dynamic needs both at an operational level and in terms of readily integrating new technologies."

Results from the North West Shelf UAS trial will contribute to the development of the capability requirements for a Multi-mission UAS under Air 7000 Phase 1, although Air 7000 will also include an Integrated Ground Environment (IGE) that will be the heart of the system, controlling both the air vehicle and the information that is gathered.

The NWS trials also showcased much of the capability for a Broad Area Maritime Surveillance System (BAMS) currently being explored by the US Navy.

Both General Atomics and Northrop Grumman are expected to compete for the US Navy's BAMS once the US Navy releases its formal RFP in January 2007.

Australia is likely to use the US Navy BAMS to inform its direction on a similar capability and Defence expects to be involved in developing the US Navy RFP and the source selection process, although it says the outcomes of the NWS trials will not influence UAS selection.

Sperlein says Australia, through DSTO, played a critical role in developing Global Hawk's maritime surveillance capability. In 2001 when Northrop Grumman flew the aircraft from Edwards Air Force base in California direct to Adelaide to link up with EX Tandem Thrust, DSTO and Australian industry took the opportunity to develop and test maritime modes for the aircraft sensors.

During long-range trials off the southern and northern coastlines Global Hawk provided commanders in EX Tandem Thrust with near-real time imagery and data that proved the maritime operational value of the platform.

Last year the US Navy, using sensors based on the Australian experience, deployed two Global Hawks in the US Navy's Trident Warrior 05 exercises to further test the system's maritime capabilities.

Both Northrop Grumman and the US Navy were pleased with the results.

Global Hawk proved that it could, from 60,000 feet, track a ship or pinpoint a buoy in a range of sea states.

Northrop Grumman has partnered with L-3 Australia, Saab Australia and Tenix Defence in its North West Shelf CWIN demonstration.

This work share builds on the industrial relationship established in 2005 when the four partners collaborated on the development of a white paper that looked at the technology issues surrounding the development of a uniquely Australian integrated ground environment for the Global Hawk System.

Northrop Grumman and its industry partners are currently positioning themselves for the Australian government's next decision on UAS acquisition, expected in October 2007, following the US Navy BAMS platform decision scheduled for September 2007.