An Cosantóir

16 | BY WESLEY BOURKE PHOTOS COURTESY OF SGT WAYNE FLOYD (ARTY SCH) Vietnam War, was substantially developed by the Israeli De- fence Forces during its various conflicts with its neighbours. UAVs were heavily employed during the long, low-level conflict along the Israeli/Lebanon border to provide surveil- lance of Hezbollah activities. The US has also been heavily involved in the evolution of ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target-Acquisition and Reconnaissance) is essential to the successful conduct of all military operations, whether they be of a peacekeeping, peace-enforcement, or combat nature. For a commander to make the best decisions he needs accurate, real-time infor- mation and intelligence. These include forward observation teams, cavalry recce teams, snipers, surveillance LTAVs (light tactical armoured vehicles), and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), all of which play a different role in gathering in- formation and intelligence. Among these the UAV is unique in that it has the ability to fly, all but undetected, and give a real-time, bird's-eye view of an area, day or night. The concept of the UAV, which has been around since the UAVs and the US Army's increasing use of these vehicles has been highlighted in recent years by their operations in Af- ghanistan and the Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Most people will have seen released footage of attacks launched with mis- MUAS in training at home ment its ISTAR capabilities. In this role UAVs come in a variety of packages; micro, mini, and tactical, with MALE (medium-altitude long-endurance) and HALE (high-altitude long endurance). Micro UAVs, such as the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III, are tiny craft, small enough to be launched and operated by a single individual with minimal training, and are used for 'over-the-wall' surveillance at section and platoon level. Mini systems, such as the Aeronautics Orbiter MUAS (mini unmanned aerial system) employed by the Defence Forces, may require a crew of up to six to operate, and are generally used at company and battalion level for 'over-the-hill' surveillance. At the top range, tactical UAVs, for example the Thales Watchkeeper WK450, need a full runway to operate from and, with an endurance of up to 17 hours, are 'over-the-horizon' assets used by operational HQ elements. much more cost-effective, making them more accessible to smaller armed forces such as the Defence Forces, for whom the UAV is a relatively new acquisition (December 2007). The Defence Forces primarily use the UAV to comple- siles mounted on General Atomics MQ-1 Predators against suspected Al Qaeda or Taliban targets. Compared to their early versions UAVs have become tors of the Orbiter MUAS in the Defence Forces as it can be used to allow gunners to react to developing situations on the ground, thereby enabling timely responses through the target-sensor-engagement chain. "This is an excellent, compact, light- weight package," explained Capt David McElroy (MUAS Instructor, Arty Sch). "It can be assembled and in the air within 20 minutes, has a range of 15kms The Artillery Corps are the primary opera- MUAS in flight at home An Cosantóir May 2012 www.dfmagazine.ie

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