『每日軍事武器鑑賞』－ X-45無人作戰飛機（UCAV）

克里斯Chris

X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV)

The objective of the joint DARPA/Air Force Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program is to demonstrate the technical feasibility for a UCAV system to effectively and affordably prosecute 21st century lethal strike missions within the emerging global command and control architecture. The operational UCAV system is envisioned as a force enabler that will conduct Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) and strike missions in support of post-2010 manned strike packages. This SEAD/Strike mission will be the first instantiation of an UCAV vision that will evolve into a broader range of combat missions as the concept and technologies mature, and the UCAV affordability potential is realized.
The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle vision is an affordable weapon system that expands tactical mission options for revolutionary new air power as an integrated part of a system of systems solution. The UCAV weapon system will exploit the design and operational freedoms of relocating the pilot outside of the vehicle to enable a new paradigm in aircraft affordability while maintaining the rationale, judgment, and moral qualities of the human operator. In our vision, this weapon system will require minimal maintenance, can be stored for extended periods of time, and is capable of dynamic mission control while engaging multiple targets in a single mission under minimal human supervision. The UCAV will conduct missions from ordinary airfields as part of an integrated force package complementary to manned tactical and support assets. UCAV controllers will observe rules of engagement and make the critical decisions to use or refrain from using force.

The initial operational role for the UCAV is a "first day of the war" force enabler which complements a strike package by performing the SEAD mission. In this role, UCAVs accomplish preemptive destruction of sophisticated enemy integrated air defenses (IADs) in advance of the strike package, and enable the attacking forces by providing reactive suppression against the remaining IADs. Throughout the remainder of the campaign, UCAVs provide continuous vigilance with an immediate lethal strike capability to prosecute high value and time critical targets. By effectively and affordably performing those missions the UCAV system provides "no win" tactical deterrence against which an enemy's defenses would be ineffective, thereby ensuring air superiority.

克里斯Chris

As a member of a tightly coupled system of systems, the UCAV will work cooperatively with manned systems and exploit the emerging command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) architecture to enable successful achievement of campaign and mission level objectives. Intelligence preparation of the battlefield will provide an initial mission/threat database for mission controllers. Controllers will exploit real-time data sources from the theater information architecture to plan for, and respond to, the dynamically changing battlefield. The UCAV will penetrate enemy IADs and external systems such as the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) will stimulate potential targets. Sensor cueing and off-board targeting can be provided by national systems or airborne assets in real time and/or UCAVs may be part of multi-ship Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) targeting architectures. The system will create superior situation awareness by leveraging the many sources of information available at both the tactical and theater levels.

Such a UCAV weapon system has the potential to fully exploit the emerging information revolution and provide advanced airpower with increased tactical deterrence at a fraction of the total Life Cycle Costs (LCC) of current manned systems. The government envisions a UCAV Operational System (UOS) air vehicle with unit cost less then one-third of the Joint Strike Fighter, and reduction in total life cycle of 50-80% compared to a current tactical aircraft squadron.

A variety of cost and weight penalties are associated with the presence of a human pilot, including constrained forebodies, large canopies, displays and environmental control systems. The aircraft's maneuver capabilities are limited by the pilots physiological limits such as g tolerance. Removing the pilot from the vehicle eliminates man-rating requirements, pilot systems, and interfaces. The UCAV offers new design freedoms that can be exploited to produce a smaller, simpler aircraft, about half the size of a conventional fighter aircraft. Weighing about one-third to one-fourth of a manned aircraft, at 10,000 pounds they would weigh two to three times more than a Tomahawk missile.

Typically 80 percent of the useful life of today's combat aircraft is devoted to pilot training and proficiency flying, requiring longer design lives than would be needed to meet combat requirements. Without the requirement to fly sorties to retain pilot proficiency, UCAVs will fly infrequently. A reduced maintenance design with condition based maintenance, minimized on-board sensors, reduced fluid systems, maintainable signature, and a modular avionics architecture will reduce touch labor in the fashion of commercial aircraft.

Advances in small smart munitions will allow these smaller vehicles to attack multiple targets during a single mission and reduce the cost per target killed. The Miniaturized Munitions Technology Demonstration (MMTD) goal is to produce a 250-pound class munition effective against a majority of hardened targets previously vulnerable only to 2,000-pound class munitions. A differential GPS/INS system will provide precision guidance, and smart fusing techniques will aid in producing a high probability of target kill.

The DARPA/Air Force/Boeing X-45A technology demonstration aircraft completed its first flight on 22 May 2002. Multi-aircraft testing will begin in 2003 when a second X-45A becomes operational, leading to joint UCAV and manned exercises in FY 2006.

克里斯Chris

文章來自 ：　戰術型無人飛行載具（UCAV）

克里斯Chris

美國空軍計劃採購60架UCAV

美國空軍航空系統中心於2004年7月22日宣佈，邀請國防工業界就其購買多達60架新型無人戰機(UCAV)的計劃進行投標，有意投標的廠商商可在2004年8月25日最後期限前，向美國空軍提交研製計畫書。

美國空軍有意進一步研製新型UCAV，並提出性能需求。飛行高度10668〜15240m(35000〜50000ft)，飛行時間16〜30小時，可外掛至少1360.8kg(3000lb)的武裝。至少包括4枚226.8kg(500lb)重的GBU-12雷射導引炸彈，或4枚226.8kg(500lb)重的聯合直接攻擊彈藥(JDAM，Joint Direct Attack Munition)。UCAV並能裝載合成孔徑雷達、地面移動目標顯示雷達、前視紅外線系統、晝夜間光學裝置、雷射測距等空載系統。此外，UCAV需能將情報圖像傳送回地面控制中心，並在任何作戰環境中對友軍提供導航服務。同時，需能在全球各地進行部署，具備在簡易基地的起降能力。

新型UCAV應在2007年結束前具備初始作戰能力(IOC，Initial Operation Capability)，每架UCAV單價為1000萬美元。由2架無人機、1座地面控制站、1具發射與回收器，及維修支援設備組成的整套系統的價格約為3000萬美元。

克里斯Chris

從科威特戰役到兩伊戰役，20世紀末的戰爭無疑是無人航空載具UAV(Unmanned Air Vehicle)/UCAV(Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle)橫行霸道的時代， UAV不但能從空中偵測到戰爭致勝的必要情報，UCAV也能從空中直接摧毀敵人的軍事基地，例如軍事機場的跑道，而且性能越好的戰機需要的跑道越長，IDF需要六千呎以上的跑道，幻象戰機則需要一萬呎以上的跑道，一旦沒有了跑道，性能再好的戰機，英雄也無用武之地了，沒有了跑道百億仟億美元的戰機也只有乖乖的停在機場，挨百萬美元的UAV/UCAV當作地面靶機練習轟炸!

伊拉克戰役UAV/UCAV發揮了其極大的功效，UAV/UCAV的毀滅性，簡單明瞭，可媲美二次大戰的日本自殺飛機，但UAV/UCAV經濟的價格，加上沒有人命犧牲的必要，則非自殺飛機所可比擬。而且最令人可怕的事情也已經發生了，目前UAV/UCAV的持續發展，航程已經加大，可以從加州直飛澳洲的洲際UAV/UCAV已經發展出來，可以跨海空襲地球上的任何軍事目標，誤差值不超過十公尺，精確度媲美任何百億美元計價的洲際飛彈以及飛彈的發射和防衛系統，不知價昂的飛彈系統未來是否還會有其必要性?!

克里斯Chris

X-45無人飛機將首次試飛

　　據美國《航空與航太技術週刊》，波音公司的X-45無人作戰飛機（UCAV）已進入首次飛行的最後準備階段，美國國防高級研究計畫局（DARPA）計畫將在年底之前試飛。首次試飛將使用兩架飛機，同時還要對目前正在設計的增強型X-45B進行試飛。
　　
X-45無人作戰飛機是由DARPA和空軍聯合提出的一項先期概念演示計畫。X-45計畫將主要驗證無人作戰飛機的技術可行性，以應付21世紀的全球突發事件。美國空軍希望UCAV可以高效率地執行壓制敵方防空力量（SEAD）和對地攻擊任務。在X-45概念機的技術比較成熟，並且成本可以承受之後，執行壓制敵方防空力量/對地攻擊將成為無人作戰飛機的首要任務。
　　

在愛德華空軍基地進行的低速滑翔試驗計畫在今年10月開始，然後將很快轉入中速試驗。但最困難的是進入高速滑翔試驗，這需要對現有的至少一個軟體進行更新。低速滑翔試驗能達到20節，並試驗它的前輪的控制和制動功能。中速試驗將達到80~90節，這也是首次試驗操縱面的空氣動力效應。
　　

該計畫是在空軍研究實驗室幫助下進行的，但在研製過程中遇到了一些困難，例如將不同的分系統功能通過飛機的管理系統組合到一起時的問題。但計畫仍在進展當中。
　　

為了支持試驗，今年10月起將使用一架改進的T-33在愛德華基地進行試驗，該機上包括X-45的電子系統（在X-45上還有一個冗餘系統），起飛後，操作人員能夠讓電子系統對飛機進行自行控制，模擬X-45的飛行。T-33將能使研製人員利用這種仿製的無人作戰飛機的飛行軌跡剖面圖發現飛行中存在的潛在的問題。
　　
同時，波音公司和DARPA正在確定X-45B的設計，目前正在對該系統的需求進行重新評估。比如在初始設計時曾經考慮過的250磅小直徑炸彈計畫現已被取消，其他的設計改進還包括將原有的武器艙從一個增加到兩個；在初始設計中除了機身外形外，還忽視了低可探測特性等。
　　

研製計畫分為幾個階段。第一階段將從去年春開始，直到對無人作戰飛機的關鍵性能進行幾次演示後結束。這包括利用電子支援測量分系統採集敵方防空雷達的地理位置資料，同時對該目標進行合成孔徑雷達成像，並將成像結果壓縮傳回地面。整個5個階段的研製計畫將持續到2005或2006年。最後將製造3架飛機--2架X-45A和1架X-45B。A型機將在最終的試驗階段加以改進。如果在試驗中任何一架飛機墜毀，將用T-33代替。
　　

最終要求該無人作戰飛機參加一次大型演示，比如每年一次的"綠旗"比賽（大型電子戰對抗演習）。此後，將進入工程與製造階段。