Logistic Support to Unmanned
Systems
Major Keirin Joyce, CSC
Where did this come from?
• Contemporary aircraft:
– Sorties = 2 to 24 hours
– Support = Maint, fuel, spares at L&R site 24/7
• Future aircraft:
– Increases in power technology and reliability
– Sorties = days, weeks, months, years
– Support =
???
Disclaimer
• Not an Army or UNSW position
• The opinion of Major Keirin Joyce
Scope
• Logistics
• System modelling
• Old and new
• Ideas
• Just unmanned?
Logistics
• Xerxes – C5 BC
Logistics
• Xerxes
• Alexander
• Romans
• Military first made it a science
Integrated Logistic Support
• 'an integrated and iterative process for
developing material and a support strategy
that optimises functional support, leverages
existing resources, and guides the system
engineering process to quantify and lower life
cycle cost and decrease the logistics footprint'
• Integrated
• Iterative
• From the start of the system design process
Logistics Elements
• Customer service
• Demand forecasting
• Inventory
management
• Logistic
communications
• Materials handling
• Order processing
• Packaging
• Parts and service
support
• Plant and warehouse
site selection
• Procurement
• Reverse logistics
• Traffic and
transportation
• Warehousing and
storage
Logistics
Network
Task/Activity/Mission Area
Operating Area
(user carried logistics)
Front end logistics hub
(delivered logistics)
Back end logistics
(may involve multiple layers
and/or dislocated goods
and service providers)
Systems modelling
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Customer service
Demand forecasting
Inventory management
Logistic communications
• Discrete Events
Materials handling
• ‘Each event occurs at
Order processing
a particular instant in
time and marks a
Packaging
change of state in the
Parts and service support
system’
Plant and warehouse site selection
Procurement
Reverse logistics
Traffic and transportation
Warehousing and storage
Example – Flight Ops
• UAS:
Unmanned Systems
– Nano/Micro/Mini
– Groups 1-5 (Raven, Scaneagle, Shadow, Predator, Globalhawk)
– UCAV
– ULE/ULR
• Future: Cargo, survey (exp), pseudo-sat
• Military development areas:
Bug (nano) reconnaissance
Bird (micro) reconnaissance
Group 2/3/4 vertical take off and landing (VTOL) surveillance/small yield strike
Group 3/4 VTOL resupply
Group 3/4 VTOL casualty evacuation
Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) robot wingmen
Penetrating strike aircraft (UCAV)
Strategic bomber (unmanned B-52/B-1/B-2 replacement)
Unmanned Systems
• UGS:
– Manpack: Throwbots
– Manportable: EOD/disaster robots
– Vehicle integrated: Load carriage, surveillance
cars, convoy trucks
• Future: Cars, trucks
• Military development areas:
Manpackable EOD robots
Area detection and clearance systems (mine hunting/clearing) vehicles
Squad equipment transport vehicles / robots
Squad robot wingmen
Convoy autonomy vehicles
Ultralight reconnaissance / nano/micro robots
Unmanned Systems
• UMS:
– Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)
– Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV)
• Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
• Future: Wildlife/Marine survey, ROV to AUV
• Military development areas:
Surface patrol boats (unmanned surveillance and port/littoral support)
Hydrographic reconnaissance (unmanned hydrographic mapping/sensing)
Underwater battlespace sensors (mobile SOSUS network)
Underwater battlespace clearance (surface and underwater mine clearance)
Large displacement underwater vehicles (unmanned submarines)
UxS and Logistic Support
• Immediate challenge: GWOT remediation
– No RAM data, no IP rights
= No organic support
= CLS
• Future challenge: making traditional support
work for rapidly developing technology
• BUT, modelling it is relatively easy
• Now, where is the effort needed?
Grouping WRT Logistics
UAS
Group A
UGS
Nano/Micro/Mini
Group 1
Manpackable Systems
Group 2
Group B
UMS
Group 3
Robots / Tethered
Manportable Systems
Group 4
UCAV
Group 5
Group C
Untethered
ULE/ULR
Vehicle Integrated
Systems
Group A
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Low cost
Manpackable
Operator maint
Or Throw-Away /
Repair-byreplacement
• Replen back at hub
or by forward
distribution
• Logistics concept
will not change
• One decision =
organic or CLS?
Group B
• UAS:
– Group 2
– Group 3
– Group 4
– UCAV
• Future:
– Group 2/3/4 to
VTOL and ULE
– Resupply
– Medevac
– Air cargo
Group B
• UGV:
– Manportable
– Surveillance
– UXO / EOD
– House robotics
• UMV:
– Mother ship
– Datalinks / tethers
• Medicine and
space influences
Group B
• Equipments that replace the DDD manned
equipments/roles
• Medium sized and medium priced
• Largely influenced by rapid acquisition
• Hub / forward depot / base maintenance
• Large support by CLS: OEM and 3PL (COCO,
GOCO, FSR)
• Logistics concepts easily modelled, open to
enhancement, and will be a challenge for the
next 5-10 years
Group C
• UAS:
– Heron/ Globalhawk
– Zephyr/Solara/
Helios/Phantom
Eye
• ULE/ULR
• Flight corridors
Group C
• UGS:
– Light rail
– Load transport
– Patrol / sentry
– Robot convoy
– Driverless cars
• Robot
squadmen?
• ACV?
Group C
• UMV:
– Gliders
– ROV
– Patrol
• Future:
– Expansion
– Swarm
– Cargo
Group C
• Currently supported per Group B due to short
cycles and operating restrictions
• BUT
• The mould is about to be broken – sorties will
no longer be measured in hours
• UAS/UMS require Global / Intercontinental
support framework
Centralised maintenance?
• Not practical yet – these Globalhawk
range rings are 8h on station
• What about when son of Globalhawk is on
station for 7 days?
Challenges and Opportunities
• Maintenance
– FIFO
– Military / Civilian
– Technical Support Network
How to maintain?
• Robotics Tech
• Robotic / telemaintenance
shelters
• Robots
Spares
• Anticipatory ordering
• Organic spares
manufacture
• Distribution
– By UAV?
– By unmanned
convoy?
• Fuels
– Common fuels
– Self generation
Design methodology - EA / SD / TR
• Evolutionary Acquisition
• Spiral Development
• Technical Refreshment
• Difficult when not resourced sufficiently
Just Unmanned Systems?
• Converging Technology
– Aircraft more akin to robots
– Individual equipment (Exoskeleton) more akin to aircraft
Questions?
• Major Keirin Joyce
– [email protected]