DARPA demonstrates prototype Persistent Close Air Support

[Asid]

DARPA demonstrates prototype Persistent Close Air Support

Published on 18 Sep 2015

DARPA's Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) program envisions more precise, prompt and easy air-ground coordination for close air support—delivery of airborne munitions to support ground forces—and other missions under stressful operational conditions and in complex environments. It aims to do so through the development of a system that enables the sharing of real-time situational awareness and weapons-systems data, using technologies compatible with almost any aircraft. Among the system’s envisioned benefits is a capacity to use smaller munitions to hit smaller, multiple or moving targets while minimizing the incidence of friendly fire and collateral damage.



NELLIS, Nev., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- DARPA's recent demonstration of its prototype Persistent Close Air Support system showed that future airstrikes can be ordered with as few as three clicks on a handheld tablet.

The system was tested on an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, also known as the Warthog, conducting 50 successful sorties near the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. This marked the system's debut on a U.S. Air Force platform. The system is designed to deliver airborne munitions to support ground forces in combat.

DARPA's program aims for the technology to evolve to become more accurate and easier to use, keeping stressful operational conditions in mind.

This development in close air support technology could change how airstrikes on the battlefield are ordered and conducted. Currently, strikes are done through a coordination of pilots, forward air controllers, and joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs). To deliver a strike, all parties involved must be focused on one target at a time, with the process involving voice directions and paper maps. PCAS systems, however, can digitally link aircraft to drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to call in an airstrike, and improve support for ground units.

"We have shown that a flexible architecture and extensible technology toolsets are the key to making groundbreaking improvements in air-ground coordination," DARPA program manager Dan Patt said in a statement, "these and other tests results suggest PCAS-like approaches have the potential to provide an unprecedented synchronized understanding of the active battlefield."

DARPA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, and is responsible for researching, developing, and testing new technologies for military use. It has an annual budget of about $2.8 billion.

Original post with comments: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2015/09/18/DARPA-demonstrates-prototype-Persistent-Close-Air-Support/5081442596005/?spt=su&or=btn_fb