RESEARCH ON POTENTIAL UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS CONOPS FOR USN AND USCG SHIPS
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Authors
Eilertsen, Charles R.
Greene, Allen J.
Loukas, Luke J.
VanWhy, Jacob A.
Subjects
UAS
United States Navy
Unites States Coast Guard
USN
USCG
UAV
unmanned aerial system
unmanned aircraft system
autonomous
capability
limitations
cost-benefit analysis
United States Navy
Unites States Coast Guard
USN
USCG
UAV
unmanned aerial system
unmanned aircraft system
autonomous
capability
limitations
cost-benefit analysis
Advisors
Van Bossuyt, Douglas L.
Hale, Britta
Date of Issue
2023-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) aboard United States Navy (USN) and United States Coast Guard (USCG) vessels is currently limited due to several factors including cost, capability, and policy and regulation. The primary goal of this analysis is to examine how Group 1-3 UAS impacts a surface ship’s performance during intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), search and rescue (SAR), and logistics missions and to consider what performance parameters of small UAS systems may be most meaningful to performing those missions. The data used in this research include publicly available UAS specifications, ship specifications and metrics, and previously conducted cost/budgeting analyses. This information is utilized to inform various models of potential missions, a tool that facilitates the selection of UAS for user requirements and a cost analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that UAS are beneficial to the missions they may perform—i.e., missions that can support their shorter operational times and ranges relative to other airborne assets. For ISR/SAR scenarios, the analysis shows UAS increase the number of targets identified when compared to a ship operating without an aerial asset and decrease the overall time to completely search an operational area. In logistical delivery scenarios—those where a UAS is used to retrieve a delivery from port—they are shown to reduce both the cost and time necessary to do so compared to a ship fully diverting to port.
Type
Thesis
Description
Student Thesis (NPS NRP Project Related)
Department
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
NPS Naval Research Program
This project was funded in part by the NPS Naval Research Program.
This project was funded in part by the NPS Naval Research Program.
Funder
This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrp
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO)
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO)
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.