Uninhabited Air Vehicles: Enabling Science For Military Systems

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U.S. Air Force (USAF) planners have envisioned that uninhabited air vehicles (UAVs), working in concert with inhabited vehicles, will become an integral part of the future force structure. Current plans are based on the premise that UAVs have the potential to augment, or even replace, inhabited aircraft in a variety of missions. However, UAV technologies must be better understood before they will be accepted as an alternative to inhabited aircraft on the battlefield. The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) requested that the National Research Council, through the National Materials Advisory Board and the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, identify long-term research opportunities for supporting the development of technologies for UAVs.The objectives of the study were to identify technological developments that would improve the performance and reliability of 'generation-after-next' UAVs at lower cost and to recommend areas of fundamental research in materials, structures, and aeronautical technologies. The study focused on innovations in technology that would 'leapfrog' current technology development and would be ready for scaling-up in the post-2010 time frame (i.e., ready for use on aircraft by 2025).

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Uninhabited Air Vehicles Enabling Science for Military Systems Committee on Materials, Structures, and Aeronautics for Advanced Uninhabited Air Vehicles National Materials Advisory Board Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems National Research Council Publication NMAB-495 NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C. National Academy Press • 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. • Washington, D.C. 20418 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the panel responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This project was conducted under a contract with the Department of Defense and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. Cover: Courtesy of Ryan Aeronautical Center International Standard Book Number: 0-309-06983-1 Copies of this report are available from: Copies are available for sale from: National Materials Advisory Board National Research Council 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418 202-334-3505 [email protected] National Academy Press Box 285 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20055 800-624-6242 202-334-3313 (in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area) http://www.nap.edu Copyright 2000 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. National Academy of Sciences National Academy of Engineering Institute of Medicine National Research Council The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president