I was in a L-O-N-G time ago (see sigline). In today’s combat environment is having a Predator with several Hellfires on-station considered GTG?
They can loiter for a lot longer than fast-movers or choppers, and with modern sighting/targeting systems they are almost an airborne sniper. A PKM on some Afghan ridgeline pinning your platoon down? The Predator scopes them out and drops a Hellfire on their f*****g heads. Problem solved. Plus it can hang out a long time.
Is this an accurate assessment? I’m honestly asking because I think it is certainly viable. I’ve heard that communicating with the drone operator (who might be halfway around the globe in a trailer at Nellis AFB) is the issue, i.e. an Apache or A-10 can be communicated with. Obviously comms on the spot is vital to making CAS effective.
I realize that there may not be nearly enough drones in service to meet a CAS demand for every grunt unit, and obviously the tactical situation would dictate. If you were a platoon or company commander and sweeping some God-forsaken valley in Trashcanistan, would you be cool with being told you had a Predator with several Hellfires assigned to cover your unit as it advanced? (if you had direct comms)
Thoughts? The input of you more “recent” vets than my old ass would be greatly appreciated.
Remember the Kiowa Warrior could be mounted with Hellfire Pylons for a total of 2 on each side. These were laser guided, unlike the radar versions of the Apache Longbow. The AGM-114 in an incredible weapon system and precise for CAS. Compared to other smart/guided munitions, the Hellfire is also relatively inexpensive at around $100,000 a piece and fly at Mach 1.3. The operational range is around 1/4 mile minimum to just under 7 miles, depending on weather, perfect for a drone orbiting a battlefield.
Seems like we should lots of different size armed drones supporting ground troops for both surveillance and CAS.
I hope we have, or are developing, severe weather and environment drones as well. That is, able to be airborne when manned aircraft cannot fly. Stretch the safety margin since no lives onboard. Use designs that would be impractical for manned aircraft and if need be specialized to quickly get to unit in trouble, identify target and attack, and get out.
When our enemies are using combinations of missiles and drone swarm that can’t be defeated, then I hope we are far beyond that ourselves.
I think the loiter time is a HUGE plus. IIRC they can hang out for nearly 24 hours (I assume depending on the load it’s carrying; speaking specifically about Predators from what I’ve read).
Can anyone address the “direct” comms necessary for successful battlefield CAS? Can a LT under fire speak with the drone pilot to direct those Hellfires, or are there beaucoup relays that take place (with the resultant delay in timely action)?
One limitation of the system is payload–two shots then ya gotta RTB to reload. This could easily be addressed with new (well, about past 10 years, which is “new” for air weapons) laser-guided developments in the Hydra-70 family like DAGR, APKWS-II and CRV7–instead of two shots, now you have 38.
As an aside, this is why I personally advocate for new Vietnam-style high-density bomb racks for the B-52 built around 250# Small Diameter Bombs: the BUFF platform gives you the endurance, and high-density SDB integration would give you the ability to rain Hell all day, one target at a time with an up to 40-mile reach since GBU-39 and its successors are basically mini kamikaze gliders.
I did some reading on this last night and it’s now called the Reaper and can carry four Hellfires instead of the Predator’s two. But yeah, still only four shots. Like Sinister said, better than nothing.
It’s weird having communications with a guy who is 15,000 miles away. That said, it’s better than nothing. I am old school and prefer a human in a cockpit above me, and while Hellfires are good, I also like the 30mm Gatling on the A-10.
I do see drone technology getting better and better so I think the platform will definitely expand.
Dedicated CAS is a luxury, not the norm. Unless it’s a large, planned op going into an area of expected heavy resistance, CAS on station comes to you (and sometimes doesn’t) when you need it.
I kind of figured that to be the case. Having said that, it would be nice to massively expand the armed drone fleet, because the loiter capability would contribute significantly to that “dedicated” aspect you mention. Of course the USAF holds the Key West Agreement close to heart so the Army picking up armed fixed-wing CAS like Reapers is going to take some override from national command authority.
They belong to AFSOF, but accessible to anyone who needs them. 99% of their missions are at night, which correlates to SOF missions (99% of which are at night).
Knew they had trialled it, couldn’t remember if they’d gone forward or just stuck with duals. Thanks for the backstop.
Also forgot that Hydra-based PGM’s were so far limited to the seven-pack launchers… on a Reaper that’s still 28 chances to Reach Out and Bitchslap Someone. If they could get the 19’s upgraded… two of those plus two Hellfires would make a nice balanced “Something For Everyone” payload mix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Precision_Kill_Weapon_System
Cool link, thanks! I did notice, however, that the Reaper was not among the fixed-wing aircraft is was being planned for. Too bad 'cause like you said it’d allow for many more targets to be hit.
A Hellfire (IIRC) has a 50lb warhead. Wonder how big the BOOM is from one of those 2.75" rockets? Surely enough to take out an enemy MG position or such.
Pretty small, but with a CEP of a foot or less–put the laser on a BG’s center-mass and he’s almost certainly getting a gut-full of boom. Definitely enough to do an MG position or a Technical.
Then again, I’m one of those oddballs who as a kid read the Aviation Week annual sourcebook (a directory of every major aircraft, weapon and component system in the world) like the Sears Wish Book, asking “I wonder what happens if we combine all these pieces together?” and cranked out white-papers advocating things like the aforementioned B-52-stuffed-full-of-SDB’s. (I still wanna take a Silent Eagle, slap the front half of the NF-15B ACTIVE onto it, then shove the engines of an F-22 up its backside… mocked it up in a sim once and almost put the plane into orbit. LOL)
I’m surprised they haven’t cooked up a reduced two-up strongback for SDB’s on Reapers to allow a “continuum of force” all the way from 70mm PGM up to 500-pounder.
