Future of air warfare includes merger of manned and unmanned aircraft

Delaney Otto / Grand Forks Herald By Delaney Otto Today at 6:48 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? GRAND FORKS — Manned aircraft aren’t going anywhere when it comes to the future of warfare, but autonomous systems are going to see more capabilities, said the vice president for strategic development at defense contractor General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. Patrick “Mike” Shortsleeve said that within the next 20 to 30 years, the aircraft people will see on a tarmac at a military airfield will have an abundance of some kind of unmanned capability. However, a human will still be needed. ADVERTISEMENT “The exciting part is the merger of manned and unmanned working together,” he said. “That is the collaborative combat aircraft. That’s the next stage of what’s going on with unmanned systems.” Shortsleeve spoke with University of North Dakota President Andrew Armacost at the UND Space Operations Summit on Thursday, Nov. 5, as part of the “UND LEADS: Broad Perspectives on National Security” speaker series. The series serves as a complement to the university's National Security Initiative, inviting national experts to speak about national security with Armacost. Armacost called General Automics an “anchor tenant” of the aviation park GrandSky, west of Grand Forks. “The partnership with General Automics has been so strong here in Grand Forks,” he said. Shortsleeve, before General Automics, began his career as an intelligence officer for the United States Air Force. His experience includes operations, strategic planning and unmanned systems integration. At General Automics, he leads his team in developing and executing strategies to advance the company’s portfolio of unmanned aircraft systems and associated technologies, according to his bio on the UND LEADS website. On Friday, Oct. 30, General Automics and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., came together at GrandSky to celebrate the completion of the company’s Remote Split Operations facility. The facility has two ground control stations, which will be used by crews to control the company’s MQ-9 Reaper drones. The crews will be involved in missions conducted through U.S. Africa Command, which includes almost all of the African continent. Shortsleeve said, looking back from MQ-9 to MQ-1, that it was the “canary in the coal mine about how warfare is changing” due to how they could be persistent, track targets and engage them if necessary without risking a human life on board. Even if a craft is worn down, those operating them are safe and can be assigned to another. ADVERTISEMENT “Every one of those aircrew went home to their families,” he said. Even with prescribed mission sets and algorithms, autonomous systems still need a human’s final say. There will always be boundaries, Shortsleeve said. Armacost said “the name of collaborative combat aircraft seems to indicate that there’s not just collaboration between machine and human, but machine and machine.” When collaborative combat aircraft were first being discussed, some of Shortsleeve’s pilot friends expressed distrust in the unmanned craft, wanting them to stay away. Trust, Shortsleeve said, is the biggest factor for the new aircraft. “The only way we build it is through experience and interaction, and in this case, operating with these unmanned autonomous systems so that we get more familiar,” he said. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA By Delaney Otto Otto is the University of North Dakota reporter for the Grand Forks Herald. Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Local Teen Dungeons and Dragons clubs in Greater Grand Forks promoting socialization and teamwork 4h ago · By Jordan Rusche Local Nielsville man dies in rural Polk County crash 23h ago Local UND to host Veterans Day Ceremony; everyone is welcome to attend 1d ago · By Pamela Knudson ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads North Dakota North Dakota traffic victims to be remembered 4h ago · By Staff reports Subscribers Only UND Hockey NCHC to review Adam Benák's slash on Cody Croal 9h ago · By Brad Elliott Schlossman Community Today in History: Nov. 8, 1956 - City gasoline prices down 10h ago · By Staff reports Subscribers Only UND Hockey UND beats No. 5 Western Michigan to complete unbeaten weekend 12h ago · By Brad Elliott Schlossman