cover

story

Unmanned
sary’s forces. It is believed that a family
Infographic Manned and of unmanned collaborative combat air-
Unmanned Teaming craft operating as the M-UMT has the
potential to achieve these force design
objectives.

and Smart
The advantages that the M-UMT offer
are:
Reduced Costs: On an average, UAVs
are 10 per cent cheaper than manned
counterparts and require fewer training
hours;
Increased effectiveness of manned-unmanned Increased Survivability: In action,
UAVs will perform the most dangerous
pairing will change war-fighting tasks while protecting the MAV if re-
quired;
Col Mandeep Singh (retd) NGAD and F-35 stealth aircraft, where- Increased Lethality and Reduced
in each manned fighter will reportedly Collateral Damages: Drones’ optical
Liddell Hart, the fly with a pair of CCAs thus giving the sensors allow them to implement ISTAR
grand old master figure of 1,000 CCAs (two CCAs per functions leading to more precise ene-
strategist had said, 200 NGAD platforms and an additional my identification and neutralisation.
“Even today aircraft two for each of 300 F-35s). This mix of Besides, UCAVs can perform dangerous
are the most effec- manned and unmanned systems is ex- activities efficiently; and
tive and economic pected to provide the USAF an afford- High Adaptability: UAVs’ activities
means of long-range able mass and be cost-effective. are not limited to ISTAR and offensive
bombardment. And On the other side of the globe, China tasks. Indeed, these devices are help-
the advent of wire- is also working on a programme where- ful as decoys, search and rescue oper-
less control of such machines, dispens- in the twin-seat version of its most ad- ations, electronic attacks and supply
ing with the need for a costly human vanced fighter jet, the J-20, is expected transportation and drop.
crew, will immensely augment their to operate with a (as yet unspecified)
advantage.” His prophecy may not have number of drones with the second seat Early Efforts
come true in his lifetime but the use of of J-20 used to control the ‘wingman’ It is not a recent phenomenon and has
unmanned systems in almost all recent drones. The swarm of drones, each of been practiced over the decades with
conflicts, including the Nagorno-Kara- which could carry between four to 10 the United States having experiment-
bakh and the ongoing Russo-Ukraine precision-guided missiles, will increase ed with such systems in the early 1920s
conflicts, has shown that in increas- the firepower of the J-20 even if the air- crew to have information including vi- ing more difficult with the air space be- to operate against a superior air force with N-9 floatplane and Kettering Bug
ingly complex and technology driven craft has just four to six ground-strike suals of the potential targets, but from coming increasingly contested. Drones in contested airspaces. To illustrate, the but it was only during World War II that
battlespace it is the unmanned sys- weapons. The J-20, with its loyal swarm a safe distance. This can be done by the have come to become an influential USAF’s current force design reported- they were first used in combat when
tems that hold the promise to provide a of drones could carry out early-warning UAV to a single or multiple manned player in the conduct of air operations ly falls far short of the requirements to Nazi Germany used V-1 and V-2 with
breakthrough. and combat reconnaissance missions platforms simultaneously. and offer a means of denying and achiev- deter and prevail against Chinese ag- telling effect, though they were simple
Unmanned systems have proliferated also. Similar trends, of plans to induct a At Level-2 there is direct communi- ing air dominance in the near future. But gression, which is considered to be its unmanned system and were not teamed
rapidly and their use has only increased mix of manned and unmanned systems, cation between an uninhabited vehicle drones in themselves will not be able to prime threat. Similar imbalances exist with a manned system per se. Many con-
in recent years to an extent that for the can be observed in other areas ranging and an inhabited platform, the for- achieve the desired end state on their in different regions and theatres and sider the use of the Royal Air Force B-17
first time in its history, in 2011, the Unit- from Europe to Korea and Australia. mer provides data specifically for the own and need to conduct collaborative may well prevail in our case too. In such bomber to attack German submarine
ed States Air Force (USAF) trained more manned platform while at Level-3, not operations with crewed aircraft. a scenario there is a need to develop in- pens as the first instance of a M-UMT
UAV pilots than fighter and bomber pi- Manned vs Unmanned only does the inhabited vehicle receive Another important factor is the need novative operating concepts and appro- in operation, but it was the later use of
lots combined. Similarly, in 2019 there Before discussing the trends and their direct transmission of data from the un- for technologically and numerically priate force size, resiliency, and ability Interstate TDR-1 attack drones in 1944
were more vacancies for drone pilots in implications, here is a look at the con- inhabited vehicle, it also controls that smaller air force to have the capability to present complex challenges to adver- that can be considered to be a true ex-
the US Air Force than there were for pi- cept of operating manned and un- vehicle’s sensor payloads. The degree of ample of a M-UMT in combat.
lots of traditional manned aircraft. Even manned assets. Manned-Unmanned teaming further increases at Level 4 as On 27 September 1944, four TDR-1
the induction of unmanned systems Teaming (M-UMT has been defined by inhabited platform can now control all drones accompanied by a TBM Avenger
has seen a major increase. This is part- the United States Army Aviation Centre aspects of the uninhabited vehicle’s op- torpedo bomber flew 55 miles to Bou-
ly due to the increased effectiveness of (USA ACE) as “the synchronised employ- eration sans launch and recovery. At the gainville to attack a Japanese anti-air-
unmanned systems and partly because ment of soldier, manned and unmanned highest level of teaming, the manned craft battery established on a beached
of increasing cost of manned aircraft, air and ground vehicles, robotics, and aerial platform has total control, i.e., it merchant vessel. The drones were
which makes it difficult for air forces sensors to achieve enhanced situational controls all Level-4 functions with the armed with a 2,000-pound bomb each
to maintain the required mass. Fol- understanding, greater lethality, and im- inhabited aircraft supervising the un- and had a television camera mounted
lowing the lead, USAF Secretary Frank proved survivability.” inhabited vehicle’s launch and recovery in their nose, transmitting images back
Kendall revealed on March 7, 2023, The M-UMT operates on five levels. also. to a five-inch screen mounted in the
that the USAF was planning to field At the most basic level there is only the Avenger’s rear cockpit where a pilot used
200 Next-Generation Air Dominance indirect reception of data sent from an Why M-UMT a radio-control to guide the drones. The
(NGAD) stealth fighter aircraft and uninhabited vehicle to a manned plat- It is generally believed that domination pilot was thus directly receiving data
1,000 drones, known as Collaborative form. For example, the UAV can live- of air is essential for success in ground from the drones and was also remotely
Combat Aircraft (CCAs) in the coming stream video to an attack helicopter or operations. In recent times, achieving controlling them. Enroute to the target,
years. The CCAs will be paired with the close air support aircraft allowing the and preserving air dominance is becom- one of the TDR-1s was lost at sea while

12 FORCE | April 2023 FORCE | April 2023 13

cover
story
the second crashed 30 yards astern of ner so that undue strain is not placed Early M-UMT Programmes Based on the lessons learnt in the
the gun emplacement with its payload on the budget. The current limitations The first major follow-on to the Concept MUM studies the US Air Force start-
failing to detonate. It is believed that of the MUM-T concept revolve around Evaluation Programs was the Airborne ed the ‘Loyal Wingman’ programme in
the third drone probably hit the ship but the levels of interoperability (LoI) scale, Manned/Unmanned System Technolo- 2005 to develop the MUM-T concept.
did not cause much damage. It was only as higher levels of control are typical- gy Demonstration (AMUST‐D) in 2002 It was followed by the Manned-Un-
the fourth drone that flew through flak ly associated with several detrimental that sought to develop and demonstrate manned Systems Integration Capabil-
to land on the target and explode. The factors, including sensory overload, new technologies built specifically for ity (MUSIC) Exercise in 2011. This was
mission was a success after all. What task saturation and reduced situational interoperability with UAS from manned largest demonstration of MUM-T in-
is remarkable about the mission is that awareness. helicopters. It included the Warfighter’s teroperability ever attempted and even
not only did the M-UMT work but the The main challenges in fielding the Associate led by Boeing and the Mobile as it showcased new technologies it
mission was also able to achieve Level 3 M-UMT are: Commander Associate led by Lockheed was the final proof of the concept that
interoperability. n Additional burden on the human Martin. While the Mobile Commander the M-UMT capabilities could be field-
Similar missions continued after the crew to manage the UAS; Associate system was never formally ed to live aircraft. As the initial M-UMT
initial success with the range of attack n Logistical and cognitive burdens of fielded, the Warfighter’s Associate sys- programmes had focussed on the use
extending to 160 miles and the targets the MUM-T; tem continued development and led to of UAS with helicopters it was only ob-
engaged included gun installations, n Distribution of responsibilities and the Hunter Standoff Killer Team (HSKT) vious that AH-64E Apache thereafter
bridges, caves, a cargo ship and a light- tasks between manned and un- programme in 2005. became the first manned platform to
house. During these missions, the stan- manned systems; The HSKT programme primarily fo- have LOI 3 and 4 capability, allowing it lator system that enabled the aircraft ‘Airpower Teaming System’ comprises
dard technique was to fly the TDR-1 n Degree of autonomy for the un- cused on hardware integration (data- to not only view live imagery collected to communicate with each other using unmanned aircraft operating as a team
directly into the target, but on occasion manned system(s); and link, sensors, etc.) rather than the oper- from the UAS sensor, but also take di- their otherwise incompatible datalinks. with conventional fighters, the loyal
the drone dropped bombs remotely. n Ethical issues in giving autonomy to ator’s control station and demonstrated rect control of the sensor and even the wingman will also be capable of inde-
armed UAS. for the first time that the MUM-T could UAS aircraft itself if desired. M-UMT in India pendent flights.
Conceptual Studies be beneficial beyond just tactical recon- Parallelly, the US Air Force carried out The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited On 27 September 2019, Russia an-
Notwithstanding the early use of A major challenge remains in the field naissance as it could be used for weap- its own programmes and carried out (HAL) recently unveiled the Combined nounced joint flight of its fifth-generation
manned and unmanned systems work- of communications and the manner in ons engagements as well. An improved two demonstrative flights of two F-16 Air Teaming System (CATS) unmanned stealth fighter Su-57 with stealth attack
ing as a team, formal studies and pre- which the aerial platforms communi- sensor payload (including auto-track- with one of the planes readapted to combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). It is a UAV Okhotnik that lasted about 30 min-
liminary investigations into the MUM-T cate poses a challenge in operationalis- ing capabilities and a laser designator) act as a UCAV. On the other side of the self-financed programme comprising utes. According to the Russian ministry of
concept began in 1997 with a series of ing MUM-T. The simple reason for this on the Hunter UAS allowed it to desig- ocean the M-UMT programme is led by three types of UAVs for different mis- defence, the drone and the Su-57 fighter
Concept Evaluation Programs titled is the wide range of radios/ waveforms nate a target to be engaged by an attack a tri-nation consortium including Das- sions. CATS ‘Warrior’ is being devel- ‘practised interaction to broaden the fight-
MUM I, II, III, and IV, led by the United used across the military enterprise that helicopter (cooperative engagement), sault Aviation, Indra, Eumet, Airbus and oped to operate as a loyal wingman with er’s radar coverage and to provide target
States Army’s Air Mobility Battle Lab at makes it difficult to ensure interopera- increasing the standoff distance and their partners. existing manned fighter jets like the acquisition for employing air-launched
Fort Rucker, Alabama with the aim to bility across diverse platforms. thus the safety of the manned platform. LCA Tejas and Rafale. CATS ‘Hunter’ is weapons.’ The Okhotnik is expected to join
evaluate the impact of MUM-T on the Recent Developments meant for deep strike with the mother service in 2025 and will undergo weapons
efficiency, effectiveness, survivability, A visual depiction of the most established loyal wing-man construct, with unmanned In October 2014, an Apache AH-64E, ship operating in own territory while trials in another two years’ time. This is not
systems more rigidly tethered to manned platforms USAF
and timeliness of the air weapons team, a Textron Shadow RQ-7BV2 Block 3 CATS ‘Alpha’ will be swarm drones of 4 the only M-UMT programme being pur-
specifically while conducting tactical re- tactical UAV and a General Atomics to 24 units, each capable of carrying 5 kg sued by Russia as its Tu-95MS has report-
connaissance missions. Aeronautical Systems MQ-1C Gray Ea- payload, including bombs. These stealth edly ‘practised in-flight guidance’ of a UAV
The objective of these studies was also gle Extended Range UAV successfully drones will be solar energised. in 2021. The report mentioned that the Tu-
to determine how many UAS could be worked together to carry out an air-to- The HAL claims that the CATS will be 95MS ‘had been refitted with special drone
controlled at once; the workload associ- ground missile attack at Dugway Prov- ‘a composite amalgamation of manned guidance equipment.’
ated with controlling between one and ing Ground in the United States. and unmanned platforms which work The type of drone used during the tri-
four UAS at LOI 4; appropriate tactics, The 1st-229th Attack Reconnais- together to penetrate heavily defended als is not known although news reports
techniques and procedures (TTPs); and sance Battalion comprising Ah-64Es is enemy airspace.’ Warrior and Hunters mentioned that the possibility of team-
the effectiveness of cognitive decisions equipped with a Tactical Common Data are expected to be powered by modified ing with the Okhotnik (Hunter) heavy
aiding systems (CDAS) in reducing Link (TCDL) that let them ‘talk’ to the PTE-7 engine currently in use with Lak- strike drone was not ruled out.
workload. The culminating study (MUM Gray Eagles. The Gray Eagle is armed shya target drones. The drones are being Nearer home, China’s PLAAF aims to
IV) showed that the maximum number with Hellfire missiles and also carries developed by the Aeronautical Develop- use a twin-seat J-20 for M-UMT with the
of UAS that could be controlled while a sensor ball that can stream live day- ment Establishment, DRDO for the HAL co-pilot managing the loyal wingman
remaining an active shooter was mar- light or infrared video to recipients with and the CATS Warrior is likely to be part thereby allowing the pilot to focus on
ginally two as managing three UAS took the right data link and screen, which of the IAF in the next four to five years. its primary tasks. A report in the Global
the manned aircraft out of the fight due the TCDL provides. The TCDL oper- Times noted that ‘the J-20 could conduct
to extremely high workload. This find- ates only on the Ku-band frequency and Other Programmes coordinated operation with drones by
ings in these studies laid the framework Army drones other than the Gray Eagle Boeing’s Loyal Wingman unmanned leading them, or commanding a drone
for all future M-UMT research & devel- use other frequencies. Though the 1st- system is to be designed and developed swarm in combat.’ But this proposed use
opment and programmes. 229th worked with drones in 60 per cent in Australia and it will be the company’s of twin-seat manned platforms in a way
of its missions in Afghanistan it was biggest investment in the unmanned defeats the purpose of M-UMT as each
Challenges Ahead mostly by coordinating with operators programme outside the United States. team will need two pilots. The alternate
Developing a successful Manned-Un- of small drones by radio rather than re- While the primary focus is to fulfil Aus- approach is to use high end technolo-
manned team presents a challenge in ceiving their video in the cockpit. tralian needs, the UAV can be custom- gy to better manage the loyal wingman
aerospace design, a cutting-edge soft- In a test carried out in December 2020, ised for other customers’ needs also. and/ or have AI technology for enhanced
ware that can harnesses high levels of United States Air Force successfully got The stealth loyal wingman will be autonomy and redundancy.
autonomy, machine learning and arti- an F-22, F-35B, and XQ-58A Valkyrie ‘at- armed with sensors and system for Talking on the subject, Wang Ya’nan,
ficial intelligence. Also, these need to tritable’ drone talking to each other with intelligence, reconnaissance, surveil- chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace
be developed in a cost effective man- the Valkyrie using a ‘gateway ONE’ trans- lance and early warning. Though the Knowledge magazine, revealed that

14 FORCE | April 2023 FORCE | April 2023 15

cover
story
eration Weapon System. The tri-nation
team is developing a family of swarming
and networked air vehicles with sizes
ranging from hundred kilograms for ex-
pendable ones, to several tonnes for the
more sophisticated and reusable loyal
wingman type.
With most advanced nations under-
taking programmes to develop and field
M-UMT with emphasis on autonomous
UAVs, it is expected that with advances
in AI technology, unmanned platforms

Image: Korean Air; UK’s Project Mosquito

will become increasingly independent
and reliable thus drastically reducing
both the logistical and cognitive bur-
dens of MUM-T in future operations.

Future Trends
One area of concern while the M-UMT
concepts were being refined was that if
the drones weren’t specifically ‘matched’
in various ways to the manned platforms Deep vision Gambit family of unmanned systems
that they were supposed to be protecting
or otherwise supporting then they would a maximum airspeed of 115 knots with saries, the timelines to develop M-UMT
Clockwise from Top Russian MUM-T; Artist’s rendering of a squadron of stealth unmanned aerial vehicles flying alongside a actually provide dangerous cues to ene- an endurance of about eight hours with capabilities have already passed for us.
manned aircraft. my integrated air defence system (IADS) a payload between 20 and 30 pounds, There is thus a need to leverage the ex-
networks, and this may allow these IADS and a maximum service ceiling of about isting unmanned capabilities presently
though the extra pilot on the twin-seat ferent tasks, including navigation, re- airspace to force enemy air defences to to be more effective in neutralising the 15,000 feet. It also has low observable available to use what is at disposal right
fighter jet would be utilised in more connaissance and forward deployment reveal their positions, the other drones manned-unmanned teams. This has led features that contribute to its surviv- now and not wait for a suitable plat-
complicated combat situations, like of assets with minimal oversight from equipped with a data link system could to the development of what is called the ability. Its first flight was done from a form to be developed years down the
controlling loyal wingman-style drones, human controllers. Further, using its transfer target information and images multi-layered ‘distributed team’ of di- Gray Eagle UAS. The Gray Eagle (the line. There is a need to continue with
the combat data from the second seat AI-enhanced navigation and target to a variety of receivers both in the air as verse unmanned aircraft working in con- mothership of Eaglet) with its Eaglets is the development process on the other
could be gathered, analysed and used to recognition software the THOR mini- well as on the ground in near real-time, cert with manned types as it presents a expected to act as both communication side, but exploit the experience as well
train artificial intelligence, which could UAS can deploy, operate and return to providing battlefield commanders with more capable alternative to ‘loyal wing- node and communications and elec- as platforms already available within.
eventually replace the second pilot. It base autonomously, thus reducing the up-to-date situational awareness and man’ concepts, which involve air combat tronic intelligence collector for not only The second issue is equally import-
is not clear how advanced the PLA Air workload of ‘manned’ elements and al- also be used to designate targets for drones working ‘tethered’ to manned AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters, ant, that is to define the role and limits
Force might be with this kind of tech- lowing them to shift their focus to other surveillance and stand-off strikes. As platforms in a relatively rigid fashion. but also the Army’s Future Long Range of tasks to be performed by unmanned
nology, but as more computer auto- tasks. The AI-enhanced UAS formations an added payoff the development and Also, the increasing cost of the devel- Assault Aircraft and Future Attack Re- systems. In September 2020, the Pen-
mation and artificial intelligence pro- are now capable of semi-autonomous- acquisition of the M-UMT is meant to oping and fielding UAVS capable of per- connaissance Aircraft programs. With tagon conducted a simulated dogfight
grammes evolve to speed up the pace of ly deploying additional platforms or reduce the need for a more expensive forming diverse missions was a major this, the M-UMT of the future may well between F-16s and the algorithm won.
data analysis and transmission, the sys- sensors in the field and consequently fifth-generation manned aircraft. concern. One of the methods to circum- have a team of manned and unmanned Despite the victory, there were issues as
tem could be fielded in the near future. ‘growing’ their swarm organically. The In November 2022 Turkey carried out vent this is to develop affordable mass systems with a sub-team being con- the system took risks that a human pi-
First revealed in July 2019, the UK’s enhanced independence of autono- the first autonomous taxi and take-off by disaggregation i.e., by separating out trolled by the UAS. lot would not and had no awareness of
Project Mosquito and swarming mous or semi-autonomous platforms is roll test of its Kizilelma Fighter UAV. functions and having more single func- self-preservation. The Lockheed Martin
drones is geared to develop a technol- aimed to gradually render the ‘man-in- largely designed on lines of the Chi- tion type aircraft so that greater afford- What next? VISTA X-62A, a one-of-a-kind training
ogy demonstrator as part of the wider the-loop’ obsolete, limit the number of nese J-20 stealth aircraft. It is expected ability is achieved. The development of The MUM-T is a promising weapon aircraft, was flown by an artificial in-
Lightweight Affordable Novel Com- human operators required to conduct to have a 500 NM combat radius with the ‘Gambit’ System by General Atomic system that offers advantages of high telligence agent for more than 17 hours
bat Aircraft (LANCA) programme that MUM-T and reduce logistical burdens, a five hour endurance at a 0.6 Mach Aeronautical Systems follows the same adaptability, reduced costs, collateral in December 2022, representing the
aims at offering additional capability, whilst enhancing the formation’s sur- cruise speed. It will have 1.5 tons of pay- approach and comprises a family of four damages while improving lethality and first time AI engaged on a tactical air-
deploying UAS alongside fighters jets vivability. This will also enable the hu- load capacity with a top speed in excess aircraft with about 70 per cent com- increasing survivability. It provides for craft. One of the aims of the test was to
offering increased protection, surviv- man crew in the M-UMT formation to of Mach 1 and will be able to carry air- monality across core systems thereby a new approach to dominate the bat- develop a system that empowers them
ability and information for the manned focus on more complex tasks such as to-air missiles as well as air-to-ground reducing its costs and simplifying con- tlespace in the increasing complexities (AI driven unmanned systems) to make
aircraft, and could even provide an un- relaying intelligence or coordinating PGMs. It is as yet not clear if it will act a struction with each of the four plat- of the future air combat. The niggling more-informed decisions quickly.
manned combat air ‘fleet’ in the future. manoeuvres with the other elements of Loyal Wingman or be more autonomous forms meant to carry out its own unique challenges in terms of hardware and While it is believed that AI’s role in le-
The Royal Air Force is even looking at a manned-unmanned unit. in its mission but given the increasingly mission: air domain sensing; armed es- software will be overcome in the times thality is to support humans to make a
a new, revolutionary approach of hav- South Korea plans to develop a squad- successes achieved by Turkey’s UAV on cort; low-observable reconnaissance; to come. But two issues remain of con- decision not replace them, the increas-
ing a game-changing mix of swarm- ron of stealth unmanned aerial vehicles the field, it is a UAV to watch out for. and high-quality aggressor training. The cern. Firstly, when to start developing ing reliance on autonomous unmanned
ing drones and mixed formations of (UAV) and also develop a M0UMT in- Europe’s Future Combat Air System: programme aims to pair large numbers and fielding the M-UMT systems. systems to carry out strike missions will
uncrewed combat aircraft as well as volving three-four unmanned aircraft The Future Combat Air System is be- of collaborative, mission-focused and In a recent interaction with the me- continue to push the envelope, blurring
next-generation manned aircraft. flying alongside a piloted plane, orches- ing developed by France, Germany and autonomous unmanned aircraft along- dia, the IAF chief said that the “focus on the lines between AI and human con-
Israel’s Elbit has demonstrated opera- trating “surveillance, electronic inter- Spain that includes the Remote Carrier side the human-crewed aircraft. MUMT will gain traction once we have a trol. There is a need to understand the
tionalisation of its robotic autonomous ference tactics, and precise shooting,” si- (RC) elements combined with the New Taking M-UMT to the next level is well-established network of unmanned ramifications of granting greater au-
systems (RAS) technology that enable multaneously. While the stealthy drones Generation Fighter and the networked General Atomics’ Air-Launched Effect systems.” With the capabilities already tonomy to the unmanned systems and
UAS swarms to conduct a range of dif- could be used as “decoys” in contested Combat Cloud to form the Next-Gen- (ALE) called the Eaglet that can fly at available with real or potential adver- draw the red lines.;

16 FORCE | April 2023 FORCE | April 2023 17