Self Destructive Unmanned Systems

One dark but important contribution that Nazi Germany had on aviation, can be realized in kamikaze styled, semi-autonomous bombs and rockets. The V1 was a pilotless, fuel propelled, flying bomb that led to one of Germany’s most important innovations, the V2 rocket (Truman, 2015). A V1 utilized “gyroscopes, a magnetic compass, a barometric altimeter and a vane anemometer” (Hickman, 2015) to reach its target. They were launched from ground stations and in some cases were equipped with radios so that their flights could be monitored.

The V2 rocket was considerably more advanced and deadly than the V1. It utilized an automatic guidance system to reach its target. A target destination was “programmed into an on-board analogue computer” (Hollingham, 2015) and the V2 flew independently of controllers on the ground. The V2 also had a powerful motor, fueled by liquid ethanol and oxygen, that could propel “the rocket more than 80km above the Earth in a trajectory of some 190 km. It was more sophisticated than anything built before and effectively the world’s first space rocket” (Hollingham, 2015). Like the V1s, V2 rockets were sometimes equipped with radio transponders so that their flights could be monitored (Hickman, 2015).

Today, unmanned, guided bombs and rockets are a staple of the US military. But a similar strategy is increasingly being employed in the use of autonomous and remotely controlled unmanned systems of various platforms. Israeli companies and military have tested several kamikaze UAVs with various capabilities including the K1. The K1 is a small UAV that is controlled by a man-portable unit instead of large, logistically difficult GCS. The K1 is “unobservable and invulnerable, [&] much cheaper than missiles designed for identical missions” (Zitun, 2015). The K1 utilizes GPS and many advanced sensors and electronic components and can fly for up to 2 and a half hours. Unlike other guided bombs or rockets, once deployed, the K1 can return and land safely to be used again if a mission is canceled (Zitun, 2015).

The SeaFox is a submersible unmanned vehicle (SUV) deployed by the US and other Navies. It was designed to seek and destroy underwater mines (Hickey, 2012). The SeaFox submersibles are attached to a GCS by fiber optic cables and have a range of 300 meters. These cables allow for near real time communication with an operator, in an otherwise, difficult-to-communicate natural environment. “They navigate using transponder / responder-aided dead reckoning to a programmed position, using forward-looking sonar (FLS) to relocate the positions of objects previously acquired” (Kamikaze Drones, 2012). Once they find an underwater mine, onboard cameras allow an operator to confirm before the SUV detonates. These kamikaze drones detonate a charge that destroys themselves and their target in proximity.

There is a growing trend of unmanned systems being used in a kamikaze style, something very alarming considering the relative ease of acquisition or creation and even the trickle down of these capabilities. There are even reports in 2015 of Iran and Russian using kamikaze drones in Syria (Bennett, 2015). These drones are a distant cousin of the notorious V1 and V2 Rocket, the innovations that tailored their creation and a step forward from guided missiles and bombs. Perhaps the future of aviation in warfare will indeed be unmanned, a sky filled with expendable, intelligent and very capable kamikaze weapons able to strike targets in the air, on the ground and even in the sea.

References:

Bennett, J. (2015, September 23). Russia And Iran Start Using suicide drones To Fight Off
Assad’s Enemies. Retrieved January 15, 2016, from http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/23/russia-and-iran-start-using-suicide-drones-to-fight-off-assads-enemies/

Figure I. Electrode. Retrieved from Dburch01, DeviantArt.

Hickey, W. (2012, July 12). Underwater Kamikaze Drones Rushed To The Gulf To Deal With
Iranian Mines. Retrieved January 15, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/underwater-kamikaze-drones-rushed-to-the-persian-gulf-to-deal-with-iranian-mines-2012-7

Hickman, K. (2015, May 21). World War II: V-2 Rocket. Retrieved January 15, 2016, from
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/artillerysiegeweapons/p/v2rocket.htm

Hollingam, R. (2015, September 8). V2: The Nazi rocket that launched the space age. Retrieved
January 15, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140905-the-nazis-space-age-rocket

Kamikaze drones - the military robots set to self destruct. (2012, August 6). Retrieved January
15, 2016, from http://www.army-technology.com/features/featurekamikaze-drones-military-robots-self-destruct/

Truman, C. (2015, April 21). The V1 - History Learning Site. Retrieved January 15, 2016, from
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/the-v-revenge-weapons/the-v1/

Zitun, Y. (2015, June 30). News - Israel's new kamikaze drone. Retrieved January 15, 2016,
from http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4674548,00.html