Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) will be essential to air superiority in the 21st century, but the human element will be key to making them relevant, said German Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Klaus-Peter Stieglitz, speaking Nov. 10 at the 3rd Biennial Defense News Middle East Air Chiefs Conference, just before the Dubai air show.

“We must not forget there is more to UCAVs than the airframe,” Stieglitz said.

Stieglitz’s remarks

There are ground-based control systems and communications relays, and especially, the pilot to consider.

“The operator must be able to take control of any UCAV at any time in any situation, without delay,” Stieglitz said.

As technology matures, allowing UCAVs to be stealthy, persistent and able to function from standoff range, the unmanned aircraft promise to become air-warfare assets that can serve as a constant eye in-the-sky for the intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance network and handle dangerous situations without putting a person at risk, he said.

“But UCAVs have their limitations,” he said.

High development costs can lead to smaller fleets when it comes time to buy the drones. They are by no means a replacement for manned aircraft, Stieglitz said. As the next generation of unmanned systems is developed and fielded, it must be a complement to manned platforms, not an alternative.

As with manned air systems, communications links and interoperability options will be key to the Luftwaffe’s unmanned procurement decisions, Stieglitz said. Future systems must use NATO-standard Link 16 connectivity to be useful on the battlefield, he said.

“If we don’t have it, I will not operate it and I will not procure it,” he said.

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