Arsenal Aircraft for Persistent Air Dominance with UAV/UCAVs

Current Problem: With the proliferation of unmanned, AI-enabled enemy systems across the battlespace, without a new capability, we simply cannot field enough highly capable manned systems (fighters and bombers) to ensure air dominance 24/7/365. Therefore, we must rely on asymmetric force multipliers that bring to bear overmatch in every domain, including air.  So, the first problem is that our adversaries are achieving parity, and even superiority, in some areas – so we must find new ways to reverse that trend. One way to achieve that is to repurpose our clear advantages into persistent air dominance. A clear advantage the AF has over every other military is an extremely well-trained, numerous air cargo fleet combined with expansive air-refueling assets and resources. We own global reach. But creating an Arsenal Aircraft has eluded strategists and tacticians, though, for over 100 years due to difficult aerodynamic problems, especially for recovery – until now. So, the second problem is a technology one. The third problem is integration: how to combine autonomy with precision navigation with unmanned vehicles reliably, and then provide high cycle rate launches and recoveries for refueling, rearming and recharging UAV/UCAVs. Opportunity: This proposal focuses on Fundamental Research for an Arsenal Aircraft and enables a true force multiplier when combined with our air mobility assets – a clear USAF competitive advantage. Brief Description of Solution/Technology: We propose RDT&E of our current package delivery solution for an airborne application as an Arsenal Aircraft. Tular enables launch and recovery of both rotary and fixed wing UAV/UCAVs from any moving vehicle, plane, or ship, autonomously. For this research, Tular uses a roll-on/roll-off installation onto any USAF cargo aircraft, enabling Tular to drop down into the clear airstream below an open cargo door. Tular is already operating on ground vehicles over 65+mph and the airborne use case is an expansion of the envelope. Each UAV/UCAV then is released directly into the airstream, or recovered directly from the airstream, with two sets of counter-opposed pin arrays. Until Tular, no other system can combine the three attributes of autonomy, precision navigation and unmanned vehicles into an arsenal aircraft CONOPS. This research is focused on expanding the envelope of Tular, from 65+ mph airspeed on a ground vehicle to first C-130, then C-17/C-5 airspeeds for launch and recovery. The research is not all encompassing and is scoped down to only address the most critical component of Tular – the ability of the counter-opposed pin arrays to operate at higher airspeeds.