Indian Army: News and Discussion

Johny_Baba

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Not true exactly.
You don't actually fly drones. Computer does that for you. You set the way-points and fed in proper mission parameters, computer manages the rest - from takeoff to flying to executing mission to return to base to landing.
You need people good with computers.

Modern drones doesn't even require opertaor to be present on remote station!!! It can completely work autonomously.
Yeah i mean a well trained former pilot would easily and fastly transition over handling a computerised remotely operated aircraft, and we can potentially save on training-raising a new cadre from ground. Almost all modern jets are already full of computerised stuff so i expect a certain level of familiarity of computers et al among ex-pilots. And am not sure for now but in future maybe, if needed we can integrate EW stuff with them in any future use of UCAV for EW purposes etc.
 

Okabe Rintarou

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Yeah i mean a well trained former pilot would easily and fastly transition over handling a computerised remotely operated aircraft, and we can potentially save on training-raising a new cadre from ground. Almost all modern jets are already full of computerised stuff. And am not sure for now but in future maybe, if needed we can integrate EW stuff with them in any future use of UCAV for EW purposes etc.
Isn't that already being done with stand-in jammers on drones?
 

Dark Sorrow

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Depends on the hardware. Herons don't have automatic take-off and landing, for example, while Rustom-2 does.
Herons do have fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing. It can autonomously return to base and land in case of lost communication with the ground station. The system has fully automatic launch and recovery (ALR) and all-weather capabilities.
 

Okabe Rintarou

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Herons do have fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing. It can autonomously return to base and land in case of lost communication with the ground station. The system has fully automatic launch and recovery (ALR) and all-weather capabilities.
But in those Army ads, they are manually controlling take-off!?
 

ezsasa

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I wonder if we could re-appoint those unfit to fly, ex-pilots suffering injuries or health issues in this Drone cadre, as being former pilots they could be quickly trained for remotely controlled aircrafts.
or they can be employed as team leaders.

piloting the RPA is not the only job that’s going to open up. mission planning , data analysis will also open up, this is where experience comes into play.
 

Dark Sorrow

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But in those Army ads, they are manually controlling take-off!?
That is nothing but marketing gimmick.
Its appears more attractive to perspective cadets/soldiers to fly a UAV than feed command to computer that flies UAV.

It is always better, efficient and less prone to mistake for computer to fly a UAV than a human.
 

Okabe Rintarou

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That is nothing but marketing gimmick.
Its appears more attractive to perspective cadets/soldiers to fly a UAV than feed command to computer that flies UAV.

It is always better, efficient and less prone to mistake for computer to fly a UAV than a human.
I doubt its just a marketing gimmick. Yes drones do have some degree of autonomous capability and newer drones have a higher degree of autonomous capability, but even in Reapers, there is a pilot and a sensor operator. And the pilot can rely on autopilot, but there might be some circumstances where he is required to actually fly. Its similar to how autopilot on commercial airliners works. With the difference being that drone pilots have to contend with signal latency and drones have a more autonomous autopilot. But it is still rather similar. I remember watching an air crash investigations video about a Pakistani pilot that flew his airliner into a mountain near Islamabad because the moron was busy fiddling with the autopilot instead of actually flying the damn plane like a pilot.
So I disagree that most current drones don't need pilot training. They would require pilot training or something very close to it. Despite the autopilot.
Consequently I agree with @Johny_Baba that unfit military pilots can be retasked to drone cadre as drone pilots, saving on retraining costs to a certain extent.
 

Dark Sorrow

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I doubt its just a marketing gimmick. Yes drones do have some degree of autonomous capability and newer drones have a higher degree of autonomous capability, but even in Reapers, there is a pilot and a sensor operator. And the pilot can rely on autopilot, but there might be some circumstances where he is required to actually fly. Its similar to how autopilot on commercial airliners works. With the difference being that drone pilots have to contend with signal latency and drones have a more autonomous autopilot. But it is still rather similar. I remember watching an air crash investigations video about a Pakistani pilot that flew his airliner into a mountain near Islamabad because the moron was busy fiddling with the autopilot instead of actually flying the damn plane like a pilot.
So I disagree that most current drones don't need pilot training. They would require pilot training or something very close to it. Despite the autopilot.
Consequently I agree with @Johny_Baba that unfit military pilots can be retasked to drone cadre as drone pilots, saving on retraining costs to a certain extent.
Their is some understanding here.

Modern drones have internal + satellite navigation and can have either a pre-programmed flight profile (in which case the system is fully autonomous from takeoff to landing) with manual override from a ground control station or a combination of both. Such system have autonomously return to base and land functionality in case of lost communication with the ground station or in-case GPS spoofing attack is detected.

The reason why such systems are manned is regulation/law (Israeli do have such laws) if for monitoring and take corrective-action when things go wrong.

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IAI Heron Ground Control Station
 

Okabe Rintarou

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Their is some understanding here.

Modern drones have internal + satellite navigation and can have either a pre-programmed flight profile (in which case the system is fully autonomous from takeoff to landing) with manual override from a ground control station or a combination of both. Such system have autonomously return to base and land functionality in case of lost communication with the ground station or in-case GPS spoofing attack is detected.

The reason why such systems are manned is regulation/law (Israeli do have such laws) if for monitoring and take corrective-action when things go wrong..
True. So the drone pilot still needs to understand the basics of flying an airplane.

For example this:-

 

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