Memorandum from BAE Systems
1. SUMMARY
1.1 Our support to current operations has
shown how Autonomous Systems can transform military and security
operations by providing discriminating capabilities more cost
effectively than current Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) solutions
or other manned solutions to surveillance, tracking and reconnaissance
problems. As a result the company continues to invest in the UK
to develop leading edge Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) that demonstrate
increasing levels of autonomous behaviour.
1.2 The distinction between remotely-piloted
UAVs and UASs is more than semantic. Whereas most previous and
current generation UAVs only displaced the air vehicle pilot and
payload commander to a remote location, the crew remain an intrinsic
part of the solution. As a result, UAVs are often just as labour
intensive as their manned counterparts and have operating costs
to match. Viewed in the context of missions that may exceed 24
hours duration this represents a significant handicap.
1.3 The UAS meanwhile is specifically designed
to address these limitations. It comprises the air-vehicle, sensor
suite and control infrastructure that has the ability to analyse
and disseminate the resultant intelligence products in a timely
manner across the operational space. BAE Systems has developed
autonomous systems encompassing all these elements that are capable
of managing mission tasks without direct operator interaction.
For example, the company's High Endurance Rapid Technology Insertion
(HERTI) UAS can be commanded to proceed to a pre-defined search
area, complete a search using wide field of view sensors to cue
narrow field of view sensors, then report back to the mission
commander the intelligence products gathered—all without
human intervention—including take-off and landing. The system
will intelligently complete the task even if there is no direct
communication with the mission commander. This significantly reduces
the mission commander's workload whilst minimising the deployed
operational footprint of the system and reducing its whole life
costs. Through its investments, BAE Systems has developed world-leading
autonomous systems capability and has, in partnership with the
MoD Air Warfare Centre Unmanned Aerial Systems Battle Labs (AWC-AUB),
deployed the capability into a live operational theatre.
1.4 From these deployments, known as "Project
Morrigan", it is clear that the use of UASs as part of the
frontline provides considerable advantage. In particular, they
offer the ability to remain on station for protracted periods
of time over "points-of-interest" whilst simultaneously
providing high quality real time intelligence. The combination
of persistence and quality intelligence coupled with appropriate
dissemination to local and/or remote headquarters provides the
opportunity to react to rapidly evolving situations within very
short time periods compared to more traditional systems. The lessons
learned from Project Morrigan demonstrated that working together
with the MoD and operational community enabled rapid evolution
of the system capability and showed a potential route to more
cost-effective and timely procurement. Furthermore, the use of
autonomy highlighted tangible opportunities to reduce the deployed
footprint and to ease the burden placed on operators/analysts
at each level throughout the intelligence exploitation chain;
thus further contributing to reducing the overall cost of ownership.
1.5 We staunchly support the MoD's Defence
Technology Strategy[1] and believe that there is a national imperative
for the UK to develop and retain its world-class sovereign autonomous
systems engineering skills and system design capability. A vibrant
UAS capability provides the critical mass to deliver the actionable
intelligence for a responsive and flexible war fighting force.
A successful and sustainable defence component will, in turn,
be an enabler of national security and the freedom to independently
act. It is predicted that autonomy will be the way of the future
for generations to come. The question for the UK is therefore
whether it wishes to nurture a national capability to meet its
long-term needs or whether to be beholden on generations of off-shore
supply.
1.6 Autonomy has the potential to have a
far reaching impact across defence and the wider economy. We therefore
urge the Defence Committee to encourage MoD to develop a strategy
to ensure that:
— The UK's ability to provide
world-class autonomous Unmanned Aerial Systems is nurtured and
deployed to provide military effect to the front line.
— UAS investment across DE&S
Integrated Project Teams (IPTs), the Research Acquisition Organisation
(RAO) and Directors of Equipment Capability (DECs) is channelled
to ensure that programmes provide flexibility in the provision
of frontline capability at a pace consistent with the rapidly
evolving needs in theatre.
— A synchronised approach be taken
to public and private research funding that is jointly reviewed
and challenged to ensure that research outcomes generate greater
UK capabilities and sovereign competitiveness within the global
market.
— Funding to solve Urgent Operational
Requirements is carefully managed to ensure this is not to the
detriment of long-term capability development.
2. THE CONTRIBUTION
UAVS ARE
MAKING TO
THE MOD'S
CURRENT ISTAR CAPABILITY
2.1 BAE Systems continues to focus its internal
investment on end-to-end ISTAR/UAS research, development and manufacture.
This provides a catalyst for the MoD to rapidly define and deploy
state-of-the-art systems to the front line. In particular the
company has supported the MoD with UAS system operations, intelligence
gathering and intelligence dissemination.
2.1.1 Through a partnership with the MoD
Air Warfare Centre Unmanned Aerial Systems Battle Labs (AWC-AUB),
BAE Systems supported the deployment of a HERTI UAS for a three
month deployment into Afghanistan. The deployment was achieved
within 6 months of the declaration of intent by the MoD and included
training the RAF team to operate the HERTI System without in-country
contractor support. Whilst in theatre the system provided significant
contributions to intelligence, surveillance and strategic reconnaissance
missions. The deployment met the objectives set by the AWC-AUB
and was quoted as providing a "genuine capability to affect
operations on the ground, save lives, and contribute towards stabilisation
and regeneration in South Afghanistan".
2.1.2 Information/Intelligence collected
from current UAVs is predominantly used to support deployed forces
to conduct operations within an opponent's reaction timelines.
To do this effectively it is necessary to compress the collection
and dissemination cycle time as much as possible in order to deliver,
actionable, timely intelligence to the commander in the field.
However, a current limitation is a lack of effective connectivity
between theatre assets and those within the MoD and National Intelligence
communities. Our investment in intelligence gathering and dissemination
is therefore focused in two principle areas; autonomous sensor
management and the management of the resultant information into
actionable intelligence through analysis and correlation with
national and other intelligence sources. With respect to autonomous
sensor management and its impact on intelligence gathering, Project
Morrigan proved the benefits of autonomous systems in reducing
analyst workload whilst speeding up the ability to collect against
specified target sets. The company is now focused on how to progress
autonomous cueing of multi-Intelligence sensors within a UAS sensor
package—for example using an Electronic Surveillance Measurement
sensor to autonomously cue an imaging sensor thus improving the
fidelity of the information provided to the analytical teams.
With respect to the key issue of Information Management, BAE Systems
has demonstrated incremental capability to manage information
and the resultant intelligence between theatre and national intelligence
capabilities through demonstration at Coalition Warfare Interoperability
Demonstrations (CWID) during 2005, 2006 and 2007. This capability
was further demonstrated during Project Morrigan when imagery
collected in theatre was made available to analysts at Joint Air
Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC), the national imagery
centre of excellence, in a timely manner. BAE Systems is also
investing in security and information assurance capabilities which
will enable electronic connectivity between the Top Secret and
Secret domains and with our key coalition partners (particularly
the US). This will further enhance the ability to disseminate
and share intelligence in a timely manner.
2.2 The lessons learnt from Project Morrigan
have led to the following conclusions:
— Integrating system autonomy
with the concepts of employment provides new innovative mechanisms
to achieve the tasking orders.
— Autonomous systems provide significant
reductions in the time required to process and analyse data ensuring
the time to observe, orientate, decide and act lie well within
the opposition's reaction time.
— Autonomous UAS operations significantly
reduce the in-theatre manpower requirements and provide reduced
operator workload in mission preparation, execution, recovery
and debrief.
— UAS can be integrated into the
manned war fighting environment in a coherent way significantly
improving its contribution.
3. TRAINING AND
IMPACT ON
AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT
3.1 The ability to integrate and synchronise
ground and air elements of the end-to-end command chain is fundamental
to the delivery of effective operations. It is therefore imperative
for fighting forces to train as they will be expected to operate
in theatre. However, the freedom to operate UASs within general
airspace is a limiting factor that must be addressed if the UK
is to be able to capitalise on its UAS inventory. It therefore
follows, that safe operations of UASs within partially and/or
non-segregated airspace is a fundamental enabler to achieving
flexible and cost effective training of personnel.
3.2 Today, UAS operations are limited due
to their airworthiness certification restrictions. Two critical
actions are therefore required:
— To achieve regulatory and public
acceptance for UAS operations within the UK.
— To provide a catalyst for investment
into opening the airspace for state and civil operations.
3.3 In support of these particular needs
and to open the airspace for security and civil operations, BAE
Systems used company funding to demonstrate safe UAS operations
over the UK. In March 2003, the company's Kestrel UAV became the
first CAA registered vehicle to fly in UK airspace. This represented
a key milestone in proving the design and airworthiness processes.
This was followed in August 2006, when the HERTI UAS recorded
the first UK autonomous UAS flight of a CAA registered system.
3.4 Building upon the National Aerospace
Technology Strategy (NATS), BAE Systems formed the £32M UK
ASTRAEA programme along with its fellow funding partners (Department
of Trade and Industry (now DBERR), Welsh Development Agency (now
WAG), North West Regional Development Agency, South East England
Development Agency, South West England Regional Development Agency,
Scottish Enterprise, EADS UK, Rolls-Royce, Thales, QinetiQ, Flight
Refuelling and Agent Orientated Software. MoD supports ASTRAEA
in an observer role and is being encouraged to become a full partner
as a significant gearing to all parties could be achieved if knowledge
and investment from the MoD were to be included. ASTRAEA investment
is focussed on technology development, regulatory understanding
and system demonstrations to achieve the goal of achieving the
routine, non-segregated operation of UAVs in UK's airspace. From
the success to date, further investment is being considered that
would take the non-military investment to a total of £64M;
of which Industry will have contributed £32M.
4. INCORPORATION
OF THE
LESSON LEARNT
FOR CURRENT
OPERATIONS IN
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMMES
4.1 BAE Systems has acquired significant
experiences from its AWC-AUB partnership, the latter's support
of our engineering trials and feedback provided from the AWC-AUB
during and post the Afghanistan deployment of its HERTI UAS. The
lessons learnt have provided many system improvements and several,
in-theatre, operational up-dates that instantly improved system
effectiveness. The net effect of this relationship has provided
advancement in the maturity and effectiveness of the HERTI UAS
within weeks rather than the traditional years normally taken
for more traditional procurement programmes. Equally, this joint
activity has provided a much deeper understanding of the concepts
of employment of autonomous systems in achieving mission effectiveness,
including those issues relating to airspace management and the
legality of systems.
5. RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
5.1 One of the critical areas for investment
is Systems Autonomy and excellence in Systems Engineering. The
BAE Systems led consortium under the Systems Engineering and Autonomous
Systems Defence Technology Centre (SEAS DTC) provides core research
in the field of system autonomy across the land, sea and air domains.
This MoD initiative competitively won by the BAE Systems consortium,
is jointly funded providing an equivalent investment of £10M
per annum into core technology. The SEAS DTC, now in its third
year, has already demonstrated technology and innovation that
supports a wide range of future developments. Agreement to extend
the SEAS DTC for a further three years has already been reached
with MoD.
6. THE DEFENCE
SECTOR'S
CONTRIBUTION TO
THE UK [2]
6.1 The DIUS R&D scoreboard showed that
UK companies channelled £2.4Bn in aerospace and defence research
in 2006, making the sector the UK's second largest by R&D
spend. 10 UK engineering companies rank in the top 100 largest
global defence businesses.
6.2 In the period 2002 to 2006 the UK secured
defence exports valued at £41Bn and over 300,000 UK jobs
are dependent on UK defence spending.
6.3 As the UK's largest defence company
and employer of UK's greatest concentration of qualified engineers
we believe that there is a direct correlation between the vitality
of the UK defence sector, the UK's engineering capability and
the security and prosperity of the Nation. The UK Defence Industry
is the world's second largest and is founded upon a world-class
engineering capability. The industry sustains investment in research
and technology, people and engineering processes that benefit
not only its own purposes but also, through academic partnerships
and its supply chain, the broader UK engineering sector.
6.4 We recognise that the Committee's Inquiry
is not centred on the wider industrial contribution to frontline
effectiveness. However, we would encourage the Committee to identify
and recognise those key industries that are proactively creating
world class capability and critical mass in the field of autonomous
UASs and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs).
Attributed Information Sources
(1) Defence Technology Strategy—for
the demands of the 21st century.
(2) Study of BAE Systems Economic Impact
to the UK Economy—conducted by Oxford Economic Forecasting
and Geo Economics (Due for publication—April 2008).
14 April 2008
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