The Future of RPAs and the EMS is NOW

The press reports about what brought down a U.S. RQ-170 remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) in Iran last month have certainly been rife with speculation. Regardless of the specific events that preceded the drone coming down inside Iran, which are known to only a few (if any) individuals, what is perhaps more significant is what we know for sure: The Iranian government claimed that its Army's electronic warfare unit took control of the drone and landed it with little damage. Whether it is true or not, Iran's decision to spotlight its electronic warfare and cyber capabilities is perhaps the most significant aspect of this event. Iran is placing the importance of EMS warfare, EW and cyber warfare squarely in the spotlight of the international stage.

Simultaneously as these events unfolded, the AOC was holding the "Vital UAS/RPA Requirements for Battlespace Control" working group event at Nellis AFB, NV. A mere 48 miles up the road is Creech AFB, the "cockpit" for the RPA missions. The working group addressed the importance of effective use of EW payloads on unmanned aircraft, current payload and operational shortfalls, and the way ahead – following these objectives:
  1. Identify capability gaps and help develop COAs to address them.
  2. Identify short-term and long-term program requirements.
  3. Evaluate short and long-term programs with key military, OSD, DHS and other government leaders, as well as industry experts.
Leading minds in the EW community will meet again in November 2012 to continue the discussion pertaining to EW and RPAs. The AOC’s RPAs EW & ISR Operations Conference will be held at the U.S. Navy' Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) in San Diego, CA, and will take the discussions from the Nellis working group to the next level of implementation.