Surveillance aircraft
A surveillance aircraft is an
protection. This article concentrates on aircraft used in those roles, rather than for traffic monitoring, law enforcement and similar activities.Surveillance aircraft usually carry no armament, or only limited defensive armament. They do not always require high-performance capability or
Definitions
The Global Hawk family's US DoD designation – RQ-4 – may belie the Block 40's true calling. "R" is the Pentagon's designator for reconnaissance, .... But the true calling ... is surveillance, not reconnaissance. … Reconnaissance missions are typically more oriented for long-term intelligence-gathering purposes. The surveillance mission is much more integral to the kill chain, with more tactically oriented operations servicing the short-term decision-making process.[1]
Northrop representative quoted by Flight International (2010)
In order to be surveillance, it is critical for the collection system, the target, and the decision maker to be in contact with each other in such a way that the actions of the enemy are relayed in real-time to those who can make decisions to counter the enemy actions.[2]
from USAF research report, 2001
The terms "surveillance" and "reconnaissance" have sometimes been used interchangeably, but, in the military context, a distinction can be drawn between surveillance, which monitors a changing situation in real time, and reconnaissance, which captures a static picture for analysis.[3]
Surveillance is sometimes grouped with
Observation was the term used for surveillance when the main sensor was the human eye.
History
Pre World War I
In 1794, during the Battle of Fleurus, the French Aerostatic Corps balloon L'Entreprenant remained afloat for nine hours. French officers used the balloon to observe the movements of the Austrian Army, dropping notes to the ground for collection by the French Army,[4] and also signalled messages using semaphore.[5]
World War I
One of the first aircraft used for surveillance was the
World War II
During
Pre war, the British identified a need for an aircraft that could follow and observe the enemy fleet at a distance. To this end the slow-flying Airspeed Fleet Shadower and General Aircraft Fleet Shadower designs were built and flown in 1940 but they were made obsolete by the introduction of airborne radar.
Cold War
Spy flights were a source of major contention between the US and Soviet Union during most of the 1960s.[7]
Roles
Maritime patrol
Law enforcement
Predator UAVs have been used by the US for border patrol.[8]
Battlefield and airspace surveillance
Current use
Unmanned surveillance UAVs include both airships—such as Sky Sentinel[11] and HiSentinel 80[12]—and airplanes.
Most air forces around the world lack dedicated surveillance planes.[citation needed]
Several countries adapt aircraft for electronic intelligence (
Business aircraft
With smaller equipment, long-range business aircraft can be modified in surveillance aircraft to perform specialized missions cost-effectively, from ground surveillance to maritime patrol:[14]
- the 99,500 lb (45,100 kg), 6,000 nmi is based on the Global 5000;
- The 91,000 lb (41,000 kg), 6,750 nmi Compass Call electronic-attack system to the G550 CAEW-based EC-37B, like the NC-37B range-support aircraft, and will modify others for Australia's AISREW program, Northrop Grummanproposes the G550 for the J-Stars Recap;
- Falcon 2000 Maritime Multirole Aircraft for France (which delayed its Avsimar requirement), South Korea and the Japan Coast Guard with a mission system developed with L3 and Thales Group;
- AEW&C, MPA and multi-intelligence;
- the U.S. Army.
See also
- High-Altitude Long Enduranceaircraft
- MikroKopter
- Reconnaissance aircraft
- Treaty on Open Skies
- Micro air vehicle
- Wide-area motion imagery
References
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2015) |
- ^ "Next generation of Global Hawks ready to roll, Flight International, August 16, 2010".
- ^ Lt Col James O. Norman, USAF. "The Rise of Surveillance" (PDF). p. 18.
- ISSN 0143-8166.
- ^ F. Stansbury Haydon, Military Ballooning During the Early Civil War, pp. 5–15.
- ^ Charles Coulston Gillispie, Science and Polity in France: The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Years, pp. 372–373.
- ^ "Canadian Warplane Heritage: Auster Beagle AOP".
- ^ "Reds, U.S. Face Hot Plane Debate at U.N.". The Paris News. Paris, Texas (US). Associated Press. May 23, 1960. p. 1.
- ^ "LA Now – Southern California, December 7, 2009". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. December 7, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ Rogers, Simon (2012-08-03). "Drones by country: who has all the UAVs?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
- ).
- ^ Govers, Francis X. III (2013-06-11). "Nevada company launches silent Sky Sentinel UAV airship". gizmag.com. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
- ^ Perry, William D. (Fall–Winter 2010). "Sentinel in the Sky" (PDF). Technology Today. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
- ^ Withington, Thomas (2017-10-16). "Keeping Your Ears Open". Armada International. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- ^ Graham Warwick (Jan 10, 2018). "Spotlight on Bizjet-based Special Mission Aircraft". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Further reading
- Arthur Holland Michel (2019). Eyes In The Sky: The Secret Rise of Gorgon Stare and How It Will Watch Us All. Mariner Books. ISBN 978-0544972001.
External links
- US Centennial of Flight Commission: "Military Use of Balloons During the Napoleonic Era". Retrieved April 1, 2007.
- Maps of FBI and DHS surveillance flights over the United States in 2015