Indian Defence Review

QF-16

An unmanned fighter facilitates very realistic training since shooters are dealing with a full scale target capable of intelligent and hard maneuvering. The shooter can engage the target with live missile aimed at coordinates in proximity of the target. The QF-16 for example, is equipped to determine the miss distance and speed of the missile warhead aimed near it and transmit the data in real time to the shooter. A ‘kill’ is awarded based on the fly-by parameters.

This paper is a follow-up to an article in the Indian Defence Review (IDR) Oct-Dec 2014, that discussed the possible operational utilisation of unmanned F-6 and F-7 aircraft by the PLAAF against adversaries such as India, Japan and Taiwan. The article also discussed the use of QF-16s as unmanned full scale fighter targets for combat training by the USAF. Based on the facts presented in the article, this paper discusses the possible benefits of repurposing obsolete retiring fighters (MiG-21Bis/MiG-27) with significant residual technical life as unmanned (remotely piloted) full scale fighter targets for training, Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology development and possible operational deployment.

The repurposing would entail low cost and low risk, but is likely to yield substantial benefits in the short, medium and long term time frames. In the short term, the repurposed retiring fighters could be used for very realistic air-to-air combat and Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) operation training. In addition, the unmanned targets could be used for more reliable air-to-air, surface-to-air and air-to-surface weapon system evaluation. Medium term benefits could include IAF strike and interception capability augmentation while the long term benefits would include development of:

• Tactics and SOP for coordinated manned and unmanned fighter operations.
• Technology for realising unmanned tankers, UAV swarms and arsenal planes.

Besides the above mentioned benefits, there are technical imperatives for creating a small fleet of unmanned fighters using retired third generation combat aircraft. We will look at the technical imperatives before dwelling in greater detail on the short, medium and long term benefits.

Unmanned Repurposed Fighters – Technical Imperatives

Optional manning is considered a defining feature of sixth generation fighters; other defining features being Directed-Energy Weapons and adaptive cycle engine. As a result of strides in artificial intelligence and flight control systems, technically it has become possible to undertake many operational missions without putting a pilot in the cockpit. Optional manning in sixth generation aircraft would allow the decision to put a pilot in the cockpit to be guided by the nature of the mission. Some missions may conceivably require a mix of unmanned and manned fighters.

Two points need to be highlighted in the context of this paper

• The concept of a manned fighter aircraft flying unmanned is not exactly bizarre.
• USAF QF-16s and PLAAF’s unmanned J-6 and J-7 are really optionally manned fighters, albeit second and third generation respectively.

Before the advent of the sixth generation fighter that analysts believe will happen around 2030, UAV technology will inexorably improve to an extent where UCAVs start to emulate manned fighters in roles such as air dominance, air defence and stand-off Close Air Support (CAS) using PGMs. Acquiring unmanned fighters would allow the IAF to use these as test beds for UCAV technology development. Let us now go back to the training and operational benefits.

Short Term Benefits

The short term benefits of the programme are elaborated in the following paragraphs:

Combat Training Using Unmanned Fighters

Under the USAF QF-16 programme (Q designation is used for unmanned aircraft), Boeing modified six F-16s in storage to fly unmanned as full scale aerial targets. Before the introduction of QF-16 in September 2013, the USAF used QF-4s (Unmanned Vietnam era Phantom Jets) as full scale aerial targets. Those who may doubt the feasibility of kitting a non fly-by-wire fighter with hydraulic controls for unmanned flying, please note the Phantom was a third generation jet like the MiG-21Bis and MiG-27.

An unmanned fighter facilitates very realistic training since shooters are dealing with a full scale target capable of intelligent and hard maneuvering. The shooter can engage the target with live missile aimed at coordinates in proximity of the target. The QF-16 for example, is equipped to determine the miss distance and speed of the missile warhead aimed near it and transmit the data in real time to the shooter. A ‘kill’ is awarded based on the fly-by parameters.

When training for air-to-air combat using a full scale fighter target, the shooter has to deal with a target manoeuvering to its structural and aerodynamic limits, not human limits. And the fact that the shooter can actually launch a missile against the fiercely manoeuvering target, makes the training very realistic.

Similarly, a manoeuvering unmanned fighter makes SAM crew training very realistic. If not, training against unmanned fighters, SAM crew cannot launch missiles or they have to use diminutive targets with manoeuvering characteristics at variance with actual fighters.

Missile/Radar System Capability Evaluation

Since unmanned full scale targets can be shot at, they facilitate very realistic missile and radar system capability evaluation.

Testing Airborne Weapon Systems

Unmanned fighters are ideal for testing airborne weapon systems such as PGMs, stand-off and air combat missiles.

Medium Term Benefits

We know that the USAF QF-16s are used for air combat training and for testing airborne weapons. Could the QF-16s be used operationally for air combat or ground attack? It is possible, but unlikely on a large scale because the infrastructure required to operate manned fighters would be substantially different from that required to operate unmanned fighters.

The USAF operates manned and unmanned (Predator, Reaper) combat aircraft from Kandahar airbase in Afghanistan. These armed drones are maintained, launched and recovered by a set of personnel based there, but are operated in the battle area by personnel based at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Centralised operation of drones mitigates the complexity of differing infrastructural needs. However, the large scale operational use of unmanned fighters would be a challenging proposition for the IAF at this point of time. The question is – How about the future? Also, what about small scale operational use? Could unmanned MiGs be operationally deployed for night time elint missions or to carry out small scale diversionary attacks?

Here are some other possible operational uses of unmanned fighters:

Air-to-Air Interception

Technically, it would be possible to vector an unmanned MiG-21Bis equipped with stand-off missiles from an AWACS using its datalink. It would be possible to programme the unmanned fighter to achieve a radar lock and launch its missile.

Softening Enemy Defences

Unmanned fighters could be used to soften denied airspace by triggering enemy defences and taking them out with anti-radiation missiles and drones. Speculation on how China could use its unmanned F-6 fighters includes collaborative operations with Harpy anti-radar drones in denied environments. At the higher end of the spectrum, the US has a DARPA managed Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) programme to hone UAV swarm technology to operate in denied environment. Under the programme, prime contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon will build on previous work to develop algorithms that will allow a single operator to control multiple Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) specifically in environments where communications are limited.

Air-to-Ground Role

The IAF is doctrinally committed to multi-role aircraft. Providing CAS using multi-role aircraft entails use of smart (laser/satnav guided) weapons from stand-off distances. No edge-of-seat valley flying mandating human decision-making is involved. As stand-off PGMs, Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) are more accurate but require target illumination. Satnav guided weapons are less accurate but require no coordinated target illumination. Could an unmanned fighter deliver satnav guided bombs? These are questions that the IAF would have to deal with, if not now then at some point of time in the future. Some might say that war fighting capabilities once acquired, can always be put to good use. The point here is that the IAF cannot begin dealing with these questions till it has an Unmanned Fighter Target programme and is willing to work with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on pushing the envelope technologically.

Deception and Surprise

In the Indian context, air war has to have a direct bearing on ground operations. Ground operations are impacted by enemy aircraft, UAVs, UCAVs, conventional missiles, artillery, communication jammers, reserve forces, movement of reinforcements, unhindered logistic supply, command and control centres and surveillance network. For ground operations to succeed, each has to be targeted at the appropriate time. With the tactical battlefield being the centre of action the concentric semi-circles emanating and rippling beyond the forward deployed enemy formations deep into the hinterland, come into play.

The IAF does not have long range bombers. Fighter aircraft have limited radii of action. Use of ballistic missiles armed with conventional warheads is destabilising. Deception and surprise can often turn the tide in a war, directly or through psychological trauma. Unmanned fighters can play the role of a joker and tip the enemy off balance by feigning a strike or penetrating enemy airspace far deeper than expected to attack hinterland targets with stand-off missiles flying on one way missions, possibly delivering double whammies by crashing into a second target. When operational contingencies so mandate, unmanned fighters can undertake seek-and-destroy missions in highly contested airspace with no risk of losing a pilot.

Test-bed for Future Technologies

As mentioned earlier, much before optionally manned sixth generation aircraft start to be deployed from 2030 onwards, countries like France, UK and the US will operationally deploy stealthy UCAVs. The technology for first generation UCAVs is being developed under technology demonstration programmes such as Dassault’s Neuron, BAE’s Taranis and Northrop-Grumman’s X-47B.

France recently started a test campaign of the Neuron technology demonstrator to study the use of a UCAV in a naval context. On July 6, 2016, the Neuron flew over the sea for “about an hour” at 1,000 feet, flying both with and without Rafale fighter jets. The test campaign underway will assess the ability of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to track and monitor the stealth-optimised UCAV. The ultimate aim being carrier-based operations, a capability the X-47B has already demonstrated.

Stealth and autonomous flight operations are likely to be the defining features of first generation UCAVs developed from current day technology demonstrators. First generation UCAVs would be capable of autonomously penetrating and neutralising adversary air defence to kick the door open for air dominance and sustained manned operations.

Aerial Refueling

There could be interim roles for the UCAV along the developmental path such as aerial refueling. The US Navy is using the Northrop X-47B to develop a Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) to extend the range of manned fighters. The X-47 was initially developed under the USAF and US Navy funded, DARPA managed Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) programme to develop UCAV technologies. After the USAF backed out of the UCAV programme, the US Navy further developed the X-47B under its Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme to develop an autonomous carrier-based unmanned stealthy combat aerial vehicle capable of strike or gathering intelligence.

It is not being suggested that an unmanned MiG-27 will make a viable aerial refueling system. The point being made is that Unmanned Aerial Refueling System is viable technology that is likely to be commonplace one day. With a small fleet of unmanned fighters, the IAF could develop the technology and learn when and how to best use it.

Arsenal Planes

The Pentagon plans to repurpose some of its existing strike aircraft into “arsenal planes” which would carry stand-off missiles into battle alongside fifth-generation combat aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor. Unmanned or optionally manned arsenal planes would serve as airborne magazines. They would launch cruise missiles from outside contested airspace using targeting information provided by networked fifth-generation stealth fighters that penetrate enemy defences undetected.

The IAF plans to acquire stealth fighters in the near future. The Rafale too can use a combination of stealth and Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) to penetrate contested airspace. Could the Rafale datalink target coordinates to unmanned MiG-27s repurposed as arsenal planes and equipped with stand-off missiles? It is worth noting that stripped off the equipment required to put a pilot in the cockpit – ejection seat, armour plating, oxygen system – an unmanned MiG-27 could possibly carry more payload than the manned variant.

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It is widely believed that UCAVs will complement manned fighters, not replace them. It is likely that future combat missions will be flown with a mix of unmanned and manned fighters. A YouTube video posted on the net some years ago shows an unmanned MiG-19 being scrambled during a PLAAF exercise. What were the tactics used? What were the SOPs?

Capability Requirements

The capability to operate unmanned fighters should be acquired in a phased manner to manage costs and risks. Phase 1 would be the straightforward analog of the US QF-16 programme focused on developing one or two technology demonstrators capable of realising short term benefits of the programme – improved combat training and weapon system evaluation and safer weapon testing. In Phase 2, TDs should be equipped to realise medium and long term benefits of the programme. Roughly, the qualitative requirements for the two phases would be as follows:

Phase 1 Technology Demonstration

Ideally, Phase 1 Technology Demonstrator (TD) unmanned fighters should be capable of Autonomous Takeoff and Landing (ATOL). If not, at the very least, they should feature assisted takeoff and landing to minimise landing and takeoff accidents. Landing in assisted (auto throttle?) mode, the Flight Control System (FCS) would assist the ground-based pilot to stay within safe flight envelope and trigger auto recovery if aircraft slips out of the safe envelope. This is a standard feature on modern jet liners.

During flight, the unmanned fighter should be able to operate either as a drone (autonomous) or as a Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV). The TDs should feature a robust satellite-based datalink. In case of satellite data link failure, the unmanned fighter should autonomously head towards base to establish Line-of-Sight (LoS) datalink for manual recovery. Phase 1 TD would not be equipped to entire hostile airspace.

Phase 2 Technology Demonstration

Phase 2 TDs should feature increasing advanced FCS, secure, high bandwidth data link and be capable of executing programmed tasks such as flight manoeuvers and weapon release. Their improved data link should facilitate data exchange with an AWACS (air-to-air mode) or a UAV/Multi-role manned fighter equipped with a targeting pod (air-to-ground role). Phase 2 TDs should be capable of one or more operational tasks discussed above. They would be required to operate in hostile airspace where they could encounter SatNav jamming and Electronic Warfare (EW) aimed at degrading their datalink. In addition, they would face all the threats faced by manned fighters – adversary SAMs and AD fighters.

Conclusion

The IAF could substantially gain, operationally and technologically, by funding the development of one or two technology demonstrator unmanned full scale targets, using repurposed retiring fighters such as MiG-21 Bis or MiG-27. First generation UCAVs are expected to be operationally deployed within 10 to 15 years and optionally manned sixth generation fighters, within 15 to 20 years. Unmanned fighters represent the future and it is time for the IAF to start working with them.

The US, France and the UK are already flying technology demonstrator stealth unmanned strike aircraft. Under Project Ghatak, DRDO’s ADE is developing a stealthy Unmanned Strike Air Vehicle (USAV) capable of autonomously flying to a target area, releasing bombs and missile and returning to base.

An IAF funded and HAL managed unmanned fighter programme would help the IAF better understand the technical, operational and training challenges involved with operating UCAVs. The knowledge would put the IAF in a position where it can better steer the Ghatak project. Unmanned, repurposed MiGs could serve as technology test beds for a lot of the technology that will go into UCAVs and thereby speed up Ghatak development.