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Unmanned systems remain priority, Roughead says

DENVER — The Navy can’t afford to put unmanned systems on the backburner as the Defense Department tries to cut budgets, according to the Navy’s top officer, who wants to see stealthy, unmanned aircraft systems on his carriers before 2018.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said Wednesday his service would depend on UAS and unmanned underwater vehicles to fill critical maritime intelligence gaps during a speech here at the Association of Unmanned Vehicles International Unmanned Systems North America 2010 conference.

“In the United States we are in the process of reimagining naval power with cyber power and unmanned systems,” he said.

By 2020, Roughead said the Navy will operate both unmanned and manned aircraft to include the Joint Strike Fighter on aircraft carriers. The pursuit of the carrier-based drone the Unmanned Carrier-launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike should not hamper the acquisition of the F-35C, he said.

“As rapidly as we want to engage with the unmanned systems on carriers, we are also moving forward with in an incredible capability in the Joint Strike Fighter and we’ve got to get to that aircraft,” Roughead said.

In March, the Navy set a 2018 deadline to integrate UCLASS into the fleet. When asked by a member of the audience if that deadline was realistic, Roughead said it was not only realistic but told the crowd of defense contractors and military officers he expected it before 2018.

“My thinking is that it’s too damn slow, seriously,” he said. “We have got to have a sense of urgency about getting this stuff out there. And I am encouraged by what we are seeing with that capability and I understand the complexities.”

Those complexities include landing an aircraft onto the deck of a carrier bursting with electromagnetic energy without a pilot in the cockpit. The majority of UAS crashes experienced by the Air Force have come during take-off and landings. Despite the challenge, Roughead remains optimistic.

“We need to really lean into that and figure out how we can do that more quickly. Obviously, we can’t do things that are outlandishly foolish but we’ve got to get that capability out there because I think it could make a huge difference,” he said.

For those unmanned systems underwater, developing the power source remains the greatest challenge. Half of all research and development funding over the next five years for UUVs will go to finding that power source, according to the Navy’s fiscal 2012 budget proposal.

The source must power the UUV over three to four weeks and maintain a reserve power source for maneuvers and strong water currents, Roughead said. He did not rule out using nuclear power on UUVs, although he cautioned it would carry increased safety concerns.

Roughead said he would not green light a UUV program until his service had successfully figured out how to integrate the unmanned system into the fleet’s intelligence networks.

“It’s power, power, power, and then we need to figure out how to get the network together,” he said.

Roughead understands the Navy is not alone in bolstering their forces with unmanned systems. The Navy’s recent agreement with the Air Force in the operations of the Global Hawk and the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned system is an example of how services can work together.

The services agreed in June to co-locate as well as provide joint maintenance, training, logistics and intelligence for the similar aircraft built by Northrop Grumman.

“I’m not interested in duplication capabilities if there are efficiencies to be gained by developing systems in common,” Roughead said.