Past technological advancements have been driven by military creation and application. This has been true for centuries now and holds fast concerning unmanned systems. This is not saying the private sector does nothing for technological advancement; in fact, advancements in areas such as computer technology run abundant in this division and matriculate into the Department of Defense (DoD) regularly. Regarding Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the United States Air Force (USAF) has held true to advancements coming from the “Flying Bomb” (Innovative, 2015) to the Gorgon Stare (Version 2).
The Gorgon Stare is name after Greek mythology ever-alert snake haired monsters (GCN, 2015). The UAV is a drone-based sensor suite consisting of nine video cameras grouped together into two sensory pods attached to the MQ-9 Reaper working in conjunction with Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS-IS). One pod housed nearly 200 electro-optical cameras, while the other carried the infrared cameras and visual systems digital processors/datalinks (Thompson, 2015). The battlefield advantage the Gorgon Stare offered made it difficult for enemies to hide. Equipped with electro-optical cameras for daylight operations and infrared cameras for night operations, enemy movements were tracked across a 100km² area (Trimble, 2014). Unlike its reapers predecessors, this system can provide up to 65 maneuverable video streams. The sensory system is equipped with 1.8-gigapixels using four optical telescopes, each using 368 5-megapixel focal-plane arrays-cellphone camera chips (Heller, 2011). Video is collected at 12 frames per second creating massive amounts of data every minute. This data is compressed and stored in a cloud based environment. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has contracted Alliance Technology Group with its respective large data Object Storage (LDOS). LDOS technology is used to store a multitude of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data, which includes but not limited to: motion imagery, High-definition full-motion video, hyperspectral, laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR), electro-optical/infrared and synthetic aperture radar data formats (Defense, 2013). Exact voltage requirements of specific sensors is not available in an unclassified forum; however, the MQ-9 has a 950-shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop engine that powers the UAV.
Gordon Stare with the use of ARGUS-IS is one of the most advanced surveillance systems in the world. It’s a challenge coming up with something that is tangible and not “a future wish” that would improve this sensory system. Pondering the subject of system improvement, I believe data storage could be improved. The improvement has nothing to do with current technology or software upgrades but more with the data storage areas and contracting agencies tasked with the data storage/security. It is this researcher’s belief, that the DoD should keep the collection/distribution of all ISR data within its own developed server-farm. Researching numerous articles, new outlets, and research documents, I could not find anything mentioning the benefit of contracting data storage outside of creating an “in-house” server farm and any instances where data was compromised by contracting agencies handling procedures. Regardless, security of ISR data is paramount to the safety of its citizens and freedoms enjoyed by all.
References
Defense Systems Staff (2013, May). Sole-source contract for DISA ISR cloud storage will be opened to competition. Retrieved from http://defensesystems.com/articles/2013/05/28/ldos.aspx
DraganFly (2015, May). Innovative UAV Aircraft & Aerial Video Systems. Retrieved from http://www.draganfly.com/news/2009/03/04/a-short-history-of-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-uavs/
GCN (2015, May). Air Force to deploy 'all-seeing eye' surveillance system. Retrieved from http://gcn.com/articles/2011/01/03/air-force-gorgon-stare-wide-angle-surveillance.aspx
Heller, A. (2011, April). STR. From Video to Knowledge. Retrieved from https://str.llnl.gov/AprMay11/vaidya.html
Thompson, L. (2015, April). Forbes. Air Force's Secret "Gorgon Stare" Program Leaves Terrorists Nowhere To Hide. Retrieved from air-forces-secret-gorgon-stare-program-leaves-terrorists-nowhere-to-hide
Trimble, S. (2014, July). Flightglobal. Sierra Nevada fields ARGUS-IS upgrade to Gorgon Stare pod. Retrieved from http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/sierra-nevada-fields-argus-is-upgrade-to-gorgon-stare-400978/
Great post on a complicated topic!
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