DARPA to test optionally manned A-10 Thunderbolt CAS aircraft
The US military is looking to take a leap forward in the development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), announcing plans to flight test an optionally manned A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support (CAS) attack aircraft.
The goal of the Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) project, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is to cut out the middle man in UAS strike operations. CAS missions are typically supported by voice communications over radios. They involve several people, including intelligence analysts to confirm target co-ordinates and military lawyers.
This "talk on" process has several drawbacks, however, as voices over the radio can become garbled and the strike mission can take as long as 30 to 60 minutes.
The PCAS project will seek to strip this process down to the two most essential elements: the A-10 aircraft itself and the Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) on the ground. Doing so is expected to streamline and speed up the time required to put weapons on target.
"The programme goal is to provide [JTACs] the ability to visualise, select and employ weapons at the time of their choosing, from an optionally manned/unmanned A-10 demonstration aircraft," DARPA said in an announcement on 8 July. DARPA officials said they expect the project to "revolutionise how a JTAC is able to request and control near-instantaneous airborne fire support".
DARPA is planning to hold an industry day on 23 July in Arlington, Virginia, for companies interested in working on the PCAS project; it expects to release a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) shortly after.
The PCAS project is expected to culminate with a live-fire demonstration, in which the JTAC commands weapon release from an optionally manned A-10 demonstration platform.
In the lead-up to this flight test, DARPA officials said they would seek to develop autonomous flight controls for the optionally manned A-10 and also develop enabling technologies that will allow the A-10 demonstration aircraft to employ weapons at the JTAC's direct request.
