美 DARPA 의 Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) 관련 기사...

 

美 국방부 산하 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, 국방고등연구기획국) 이 최근 발표한 PCAS 개념

자료를 소개한 바 있습니다.  --->

 

DARPA Persistent CAS

 

마침 AW&ST 에서 PCAS 개념을 소개한 기사가 있어 보충 자료로 소개합니다. 앞서 소개한 전체 자료와 동 기사를 참조하면,

PCAS 를 이해하는데 많은 참고가 될 것으로 생각합니다.

 

같은 PCAS 지만, DARPA 에서는 Persistent CAS 로, AW&ST 에서는 Precision CAS 로 표기하고 있다는 점 참조바랍니다.

두 단어가 가지는 의미가 다르기는 합니다만, CAS 라는 목적 자체를 놓고 본다면 함께 사용해도 크게 틀린 의미는 아니라고

봅니다.

 

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Darpa To Demonstrate Unmanned CAS

AW&ST, Aug 11, 2010

By Graham Warwick

Washington

 

Unmanned aircraft responding to calls for fire support from ground controllers, who directly command their sensors and weapons, could become reality if a Pentagon demonstration of advanced close air support technology is successful.

 

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Precision Close Air Support (PCAS) program aims to develop a kit that enables joint tactical air controllers to take command of sensors and weapons on manned and unmanned aircraft to increase the speed and accuracy of fire support for ground forces.

 

With a wearable display, the controller would be able to use the aircraft’s sensors to improve situational awareness; visualize the effects before launching a weapon from the aircraft to assess likely damage; and monitor the weapon’s fly-out and send target updates via data link if needed.

 

Compared with the voice communications now used, a direct digital link between controller and aircraft is expected to reduce response time to within 6 min. from 30-60 min. to get a bomb on target from an aircraft orbiting within 30 nm. The “machine-to-machine” link is also expected to reduce errors.

 

Darpa plans a live-fire demonstration of PCAS at the end of Fiscal 2014 using a Fairchild A-10 modified for optionally manned operation. The A-10 will be equipped with dual Litening targeting pods to demonstrate that one aircraft could attack multiple targets, or service multiple controllers, simultaneously.

 

The A-10’s 30-mm. gun, laser-guided 2.75-in. rockets, GPS-guided 250-lb. bombs and AGM-56E Maverick laser-guided missiles will be used for the live-fire demonstration, as they have different targeting errors and blast effects that must be modeled and presented to the ground controller on a head-up display.

 

Although PCAS would increase the speed and accuracy of manned close air support, the program’s intent is to unlock the potential for unmanned aircraft to provide persistent CAS. The U.S. Air Force sees close air support as one of the missions for its proposed MQ-X next-generation unmanned aircraft.

 

Planned to be fielded around 2020, the MQ-X would have a high-subsonic speed equivalent to manned aircraft but an endurance of 12-18 hr., compared with 6 hr. for the A-10, while carrying a larger payload of weapons than the MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper.

 

Proposals for PCAS are due by the end of September, with award of one or two contracts for preliminary design, and up to six for enabling technology development, by the end of November. After the 18-month first phase, plans call for one team to be selected to proceed with the demonstration.