Manned-Unmanned Teaming: Training Us Army Unmanned Aircraft System Operators in the Scout-Reconnaissance Role

Until recently, U.S. Army unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) were intelligence-gathering platforms. The UAS mission has recently changed from strategic intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to scout-reconnaissance (SR) operations. This shift has produced an increased requirement for coordination between manned and unmanned aircraft. Mannedunmanned teaming (MUM-T) requires that UAS operators become knowledgeable and proficient in the same scout-reconnaissance (SR) skills as pilots of armed helicopters. This paper summarizes the many training challenges consequent to the move from ISR to SR roles. It will review completed and ongoing research efforts by the Army Research Institute (ARI) Fort Rucker element, which investigated (a) preparedness of UAS operators to perform tactical SR missions, (b) the training provided at a Combat Training Center (c) differential perspectives of the manned and unmanned Army aviation communities on the role of UAS in MUM-T, (d) MUM-T skills that must be trained and measured