A Peek into the RPAS World
A visit to an IAF base provides a glimpse of the numerous roles and intensive use of RPAS, but the impressive capabilities of these Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Systems notwithstanding, the operator's console still calls for technological upgrades
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 17/11/2016
Launch of a Harop UAV (Photo: IAI)
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have been in use by the Israeli Air Force for decades, but in recent years they have evolved into a primary element in the employment of military power. If you review the number of flight hours logged by the RPAS squadrons in comparison to the manned aircraft squadrons, you will realize that the RPAS have the upper hand.
Admittedly, RPAS cannot fulfill the functionality of fighter aircraft and attack helicopters, transport or mission aircraft, but the ever-intensifying use of this category of aerial vehicles clearly demonstrates the need for persistent area surveillance for built-up area warfare operations and urban scenarios.
RPAS have served IDF mainly for real-time intelligence gatherin into g (surveillance) in area cells of dozens of square kilometers. The primary objective of this platform is persistent area surveillance. One should bear in mind the fact that RPAS do not operate in isolation. Other elements sharing the same effort are surveillance satellites, intelligence elements on the ground, photoreconnaissance flights by fighter aircraft and long-range surveillance radars. However, RPAS is the only platform capable of providing the ground forces with continuous, real-time tactical surveillance.
IDF have recently invited technology reporters to attend a visit to Palmachim airbase out of which all of the RPAS of the IAF operate, with the exception of the IAI Eitan (Heron TP), which operates out of Tel-Nof airbase owing to its size. Along with IAF, the IDF Artillery Corps also operate RPAS for their own needs. The operators of both corps go through the same training program.
Admittedly, this was not the first visit by the media to this RPAS squadron, but it provided a current glimpse to the workload the IDF RPAS force deals with. These squadrons operate 24/7 and vehicles are airborne year-round. Although the exact number of vehicles deployed at Palmachim airbase cannot be revealed, we can say that dozens of vehicles manufactured by Elbit Systems and IAI operate out of that base.
A Brief Stint as RPAS Operator
Along with the operational employment, the men and women of the squadron, in regular service or on reserve duty, deal with post-operational debriefing/mission analysis and intensive training. To enable us to experience the training of an RPAS operator, they treated us, during our visit to the squadron, to a near-realistic scenario.
The scenario involved four Jeeps of an IDF elite unit preparing to enter an Arab village in the territories to arrest a suspected terrorist. The forces on the ground were waiting for the RPAS to 'clear the route of advance' for them and verify there were no threats along the way to the wanted suspect's house. I had the good fortune of manning the operator's seat with the mission commander, an officer of the squadron, seated next to me. Behind a dark glass partition, the female instructors prepared and controlled the training session. The instructors are responsible for preparing the training session, playing the role of the ground forces over the communication network, inserting challenges into the scenario during the actual activity and conducting the debriefing/mission analysis session at the end of the exercise.
The operator's workstation looks like a combination of an operations center, a server room and a flight simulator computer game console. It consists of an office chair, a joystick and computer display screens. The exercise started with an attempt to spot threats along the route of advance. The process of spotting and identifying the threats is carried out by manipulating the joystick that controls the payload carried by the RPAS. As long as the route was passed through open terrain, tracking it was fairly simple, but when it entered the built-up area, keeping track of the route used by the ground forces became difficult to practically impossible for an untrained individual like myself.
Visual tracking is carried out opposite two display screens – one displaying an aerial reconnaissance photograph of the area, simulating the image provided by the camera carried by the RPAS, and the other displaying a map of the route. To my surprise, the two displays could not be unified, namely – the screen displaying the aerial reconnaissance photograph did not possess a feature enabling the user to add a graphic overlay of the map, so as to highlight the route on the photograph according to the map.
According to the people of the squadron, the image analysis and processing technology currently available does not yet enable the operators to create data overlays in real time. The implication, at least to an untrained operator like myself, is that the task of tracking the route of advance of the ground forces requires careful attention which should be devoted to the attempt to spot threats along that route. In the case of professional IAF operators, the solution is provided by their operational experience. During the training course, they practice route tracking and spatial orientation in urban environments. Subsequently, over time, they hone their professionalism through operational experience. Tracking the route, especially during real-time operational activity, is the foundation for any mission where the RPAS operators monitor and accompany friendly ground forces. Apparently, when technology makes it possible to add data overlays to the visual information provided by the RPAS optical payload, operation will be significantly simplified and the training process will become shorter.
Following the hands-on experience at the operator's workstation, the visit progressed to the parking shed of the RPAS. Apparently, alongside the operators, the squadron also includes dozens of technical specialists dealing with instruction, debriefing/mission analysis, vehicle maintenance and service, replacement of payloads, refueling, and there are specialists whose function is to get the vehicle airborne and land it safely.
However, the need for so much manpower for the operation of a remotely-piloted platform raises questions regarding the use of automation and autonomy as a way to minimize operating costs and improve operational efficiency. If a software can fly over an area of activity, monitor the route of the ground forces, identify and classify threats based on an automatic target recognition technology or a biometric human target identification technology – the role of the human operators will be simplified.
In the same context, if self-repairing materials, 3D printers and robotic warehouses, as used by Amazon, are introduced into the RPAS world, the manpower required for the maintenance aspects will be reduced, too. "At the present time, this is all science fiction," they say at the RPAS squadron: "Admittedly, there are elements of the mission a software can execute automatically, but there is still a considerable distance between this and fully autonomous operation of the RPAS force."
Persistent Area Surveillance
Following the visit to Palmachim airbase, I reached one definite conclusion: it is by no means a simple undertaking to maintain continuous RPAS operation capabilities that may be used to support the operational activities of ground forces in real time. Over the years, IAF has developed a force that operates like a highly efficient manufacturer of visual intelligence.
The effectiveness accomplished by IAF notwithstanding, the visit made it clear that upgrading the existing image processing and artificial intelligence technologies, mainly with regard to decision making, can improve the training process of the RPAS operators and the over-all effectiveness of the RPAS force, not just with regard to the manpower aspect, but also at the operational level. If you take into account the fact that the life-span of a target on the battlefield is extremely short and that the amount of information collected by the entire intelligence gathering layout of IDF has grown, prompt and more correct decision making will provide IDF with a significant advantage.
Another conclusion involves the democratization of the RPAS technology. Just as small arms, for example, have evolved into a standard operational element among the ground forces – a measure anyone can operate owing to its simplicity, autonomy in the RPAS world will make these capabilities available to any IDF unit. Tank developers around the world are even considering the inclusion of an RPAS in every future tank. This trend is already being implemented with regard to multicopters – but not yet with regard to the larger platforms.
Without a doubt, the intensifying employment of RPAS by IDF is a reflection of battlefield trends that necessitate persistent area surveillance and whose characteristics are rapid changes, a disappearing enemy, one-off employment of weapon systems and other elements. "The employment of RPAS is expected to intensify. Even today the number of flight hours logged by the RPAS squadrons exceeds that of the manned aircraft squadrons," an IAF source explained. "This trend will only intensify. Many of the manned flight hours are now being done on simulators, owing to the operating costs, while on the other hand, the forces on the ground demand more of the continuous tactical intelligence RPAS provide, as well as escorting for ground forces. The implication is reflected in the considerable workload and responsibility assigned to the operators of the RPAS force."
A visit to an IAF base provides a glimpse of the numerous roles and intensive use of RPAS, but the impressive capabilities of these Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Systems notwithstanding, the operator's console still calls for technological upgrades
Launch of a Harop UAV (Photo: IAI)
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have been in use by the Israeli Air Force for decades, but in recent years they have evolved into a primary element in the employment of military power. If you review the number of flight hours logged by the RPAS squadrons in comparison to the manned aircraft squadrons, you will realize that the RPAS have the upper hand.
Admittedly, RPAS cannot fulfill the functionality of fighter aircraft and attack helicopters, transport or mission aircraft, but the ever-intensifying use of this category of aerial vehicles clearly demonstrates the need for persistent area surveillance for built-up area warfare operations and urban scenarios.
RPAS have served IDF mainly for real-time intelligence gatherin into g (surveillance) in area cells of dozens of square kilometers. The primary objective of this platform is persistent area surveillance. One should bear in mind the fact that RPAS do not operate in isolation. Other elements sharing the same effort are surveillance satellites, intelligence elements on the ground, photoreconnaissance flights by fighter aircraft and long-range surveillance radars. However, RPAS is the only platform capable of providing the ground forces with continuous, real-time tactical surveillance.
IDF have recently invited technology reporters to attend a visit to Palmachim airbase out of which all of the RPAS of the IAF operate, with the exception of the IAI Eitan (Heron TP), which operates out of Tel-Nof airbase owing to its size. Along with IAF, the IDF Artillery Corps also operate RPAS for their own needs. The operators of both corps go through the same training program.
Admittedly, this was not the first visit by the media to this RPAS squadron, but it provided a current glimpse to the workload the IDF RPAS force deals with. These squadrons operate 24/7 and vehicles are airborne year-round. Although the exact number of vehicles deployed at Palmachim airbase cannot be revealed, we can say that dozens of vehicles manufactured by Elbit Systems and IAI operate out of that base.
A Brief Stint as RPAS Operator
Along with the operational employment, the men and women of the squadron, in regular service or on reserve duty, deal with post-operational debriefing/mission analysis and intensive training. To enable us to experience the training of an RPAS operator, they treated us, during our visit to the squadron, to a near-realistic scenario.
The scenario involved four Jeeps of an IDF elite unit preparing to enter an Arab village in the territories to arrest a suspected terrorist. The forces on the ground were waiting for the RPAS to 'clear the route of advance' for them and verify there were no threats along the way to the wanted suspect's house. I had the good fortune of manning the operator's seat with the mission commander, an officer of the squadron, seated next to me. Behind a dark glass partition, the female instructors prepared and controlled the training session. The instructors are responsible for preparing the training session, playing the role of the ground forces over the communication network, inserting challenges into the scenario during the actual activity and conducting the debriefing/mission analysis session at the end of the exercise.
The operator's workstation looks like a combination of an operations center, a server room and a flight simulator computer game console. It consists of an office chair, a joystick and computer display screens. The exercise started with an attempt to spot threats along the route of advance. The process of spotting and identifying the threats is carried out by manipulating the joystick that controls the payload carried by the RPAS. As long as the route was passed through open terrain, tracking it was fairly simple, but when it entered the built-up area, keeping track of the route used by the ground forces became difficult to practically impossible for an untrained individual like myself.
Visual tracking is carried out opposite two display screens – one displaying an aerial reconnaissance photograph of the area, simulating the image provided by the camera carried by the RPAS, and the other displaying a map of the route. To my surprise, the two displays could not be unified, namely – the screen displaying the aerial reconnaissance photograph did not possess a feature enabling the user to add a graphic overlay of the map, so as to highlight the route on the photograph according to the map.
According to the people of the squadron, the image analysis and processing technology currently available does not yet enable the operators to create data overlays in real time. The implication, at least to an untrained operator like myself, is that the task of tracking the route of advance of the ground forces requires careful attention which should be devoted to the attempt to spot threats along that route. In the case of professional IAF operators, the solution is provided by their operational experience. During the training course, they practice route tracking and spatial orientation in urban environments. Subsequently, over time, they hone their professionalism through operational experience. Tracking the route, especially during real-time operational activity, is the foundation for any mission where the RPAS operators monitor and accompany friendly ground forces. Apparently, when technology makes it possible to add data overlays to the visual information provided by the RPAS optical payload, operation will be significantly simplified and the training process will become shorter.
Following the hands-on experience at the operator's workstation, the visit progressed to the parking shed of the RPAS. Apparently, alongside the operators, the squadron also includes dozens of technical specialists dealing with instruction, debriefing/mission analysis, vehicle maintenance and service, replacement of payloads, refueling, and there are specialists whose function is to get the vehicle airborne and land it safely.
However, the need for so much manpower for the operation of a remotely-piloted platform raises questions regarding the use of automation and autonomy as a way to minimize operating costs and improve operational efficiency. If a software can fly over an area of activity, monitor the route of the ground forces, identify and classify threats based on an automatic target recognition technology or a biometric human target identification technology – the role of the human operators will be simplified.
In the same context, if self-repairing materials, 3D printers and robotic warehouses, as used by Amazon, are introduced into the RPAS world, the manpower required for the maintenance aspects will be reduced, too. "At the present time, this is all science fiction," they say at the RPAS squadron: "Admittedly, there are elements of the mission a software can execute automatically, but there is still a considerable distance between this and fully autonomous operation of the RPAS force."
Persistent Area Surveillance
Following the visit to Palmachim airbase, I reached one definite conclusion: it is by no means a simple undertaking to maintain continuous RPAS operation capabilities that may be used to support the operational activities of ground forces in real time. Over the years, IAF has developed a force that operates like a highly efficient manufacturer of visual intelligence.
The effectiveness accomplished by IAF notwithstanding, the visit made it clear that upgrading the existing image processing and artificial intelligence technologies, mainly with regard to decision making, can improve the training process of the RPAS operators and the over-all effectiveness of the RPAS force, not just with regard to the manpower aspect, but also at the operational level. If you take into account the fact that the life-span of a target on the battlefield is extremely short and that the amount of information collected by the entire intelligence gathering layout of IDF has grown, prompt and more correct decision making will provide IDF with a significant advantage.
Another conclusion involves the democratization of the RPAS technology. Just as small arms, for example, have evolved into a standard operational element among the ground forces – a measure anyone can operate owing to its simplicity, autonomy in the RPAS world will make these capabilities available to any IDF unit. Tank developers around the world are even considering the inclusion of an RPAS in every future tank. This trend is already being implemented with regard to multicopters – but not yet with regard to the larger platforms.
Without a doubt, the intensifying employment of RPAS by IDF is a reflection of battlefield trends that necessitate persistent area surveillance and whose characteristics are rapid changes, a disappearing enemy, one-off employment of weapon systems and other elements. "The employment of RPAS is expected to intensify. Even today the number of flight hours logged by the RPAS squadrons exceeds that of the manned aircraft squadrons," an IAF source explained. "This trend will only intensify. Many of the manned flight hours are now being done on simulators, owing to the operating costs, while on the other hand, the forces on the ground demand more of the continuous tactical intelligence RPAS provide, as well as escorting for ground forces. The implication is reflected in the considerable workload and responsibility assigned to the operators of the RPAS force."
