 Aerospace giant Boeing has decided that it needs to give serious thought to cutting pilots out of the cockpit. The company has established a new organisation dedicated to efforts in the expanding "unmanned systems" market and aimed at fast-tracking the development of pilotless combat aircraft.
The first focus of the Unmanned Systems group will be the US Air Force's X-45 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). Once this aircraft has been proved to a sufficient degree, the division plans on developing prototypes aimed at gathering intelligence, area surveillance and combat reconnaissance.
At one time, the US military said it had no desire to allow unmanned aircraft to carry lethal payloads. However, following tests last year with Predator UAV's firing Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and the subsequent deployment and success of the pairing in killing tanks in Afghanistan, the Pentagon has warmed rapidly to the idea.
As well as the sexy-looking X-45, the Boeing group will look at the feasibility of cheap, expendable UAV's that could be sent on suicidal missions, expensive but rugged designs that could survive nearly anything, next-generation target drones that would give trainee pilots a real challenge, and integrating elements of UAV control and hardware into front-line ground units.
 Pilotless Payola
For the big aviation players, the unmanned concept represents a fiscal lifeline. The finalisation of the Joint Strike Fighter model has now put an end to any new manned fighter contracting until at least the middle of this century. To get new pork, the corporations have to find other niches.
Based in St.Louis, the new Unmanned Systems group will be headed up by Mike Heinz and report to both Jerry Daniels, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems, and George Muellner, president, Boeing Phantom Works, the company's advanced research-and-development unit.
"Unmanned systems are the future of aerospace," Daniels said. "We intend to lead the transformation they will bring by leveraging the best from across Boeing. That's what Mike's organization will do."
 Muellner added: "Most attention focuses on the unmanned vehicle, but success depends on understanding the broader system – aircraft, control software, payloads and support concepts.
The unmanned systems organization will oversee current Boeing projects including the two Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle programs sponsored by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – one for the U.S. Air Force, the other for the U.S. Navy. Boeing is also pursuing an unmanned concept based on canard rotor wing technology.
Expect to see the aircraft appearing in a Tom Clancy novel some time soon!
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