Proposal to Augment U.S. Army LSA and UARS

The U.S. Army currently has a gap in its aerial reconnaissance capabilities, with the OH-58D Kiowa completing its phase transition to the AH-64E. Since the Army has done away with its rotary-wing scout aircraft, it currently relies on the AH-64E attack helicopter (an aircraft not designed for such a role), in tandem with UAS RQ- 7Bs and MQ-1C Grey Eagle. These aircraft use the MUM-T (Manned-Unmanned Teaming) system, which allows AH-64E pilots to control the camera and weaponry of the drones while both aircraft are in flight. The draw back to this system lies in two categories; 1) the inability for a heavy attack aircraft to perform highly-maneuverable in a light-reconnaissance mission, and 2) The inability for either the RQ-7B or the MQ-1C to be used without perfect weather conditions, increasingly constant maintenance, limited flight range (RQ-7B), and the inability of the aircrafts’ weaponry capabilities to be used in a close air-support (CAS) setting in which the OH-58D has been traditionally used. This research project will explore an alternative to this gap, combining the reconnaissance advantages of current UAS systems with the capabilities of current-use and previous light scout aircraft. Current project progress has been made on CAD modeling, airframe construction, electronic wiring, and MATLAB programming. Phase 1 of the project uses an existing model of an AH-64E due to existing specifications, that will be used to integrate flight, weapons, communications and existing army systems as a rotary-wing reconnaissance aircraft proof of concept