Considerations for the Maneuver Commander: Could the Emergence of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Spell the Demise of the Army's RAH-66 Comanche in the Armed (Paperback or Softback)

The U.S. Army finds itself at a crossroad in the development and fielding of both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter to fulfill the armed reconnaissance role for its future Objective Force (OF). Ever-increasing UAV capabilities, especially the ability to arm these platforms with Hellfire missiles, is forcing a blending of roles that were once solely the domain of manned platforms. This paper attempts to answer the thesis question posed above by using the OF characteristics of survivability, lethality, and responsiveness and comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Army's Class IV UAV systems (Hunter TUAV, Shadow 200, the Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP), the Hummingbird 160 UCAR, and the Air Force's Predator A and B) against similar capabilities found in the Comanche. The analysis also highlights what the maneuver commander should consider in employing these future combat systems. The author concludes, based on the above criteria, that future UAV capabilities (up to the 2009 year timeframe) should not preclude the need for the Army to field the Comanche.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

David Jake Barnes is the Seton Hall University Distinguished Research Professor Law. Professor Barnes began teaching at Seton Hall in 1999 after being the Charles W. Delaney Professor of Law at the University of Denver and teaching with the economics and the law faculties at Syracuse University. Professor Barnes educational background includes undergraduate study at Dartmouth College and Wellesley College, an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His casebooks and treatises include THE LAW OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; BASIC TORT LAW: CASES, PROBLEMS, STATUTES, AND MATERIALS; CASES AND MATERIALS ON LAW AND ECONOMICS; STATISTICAL EVIDENCE IN LITIGATION: METHODOLOGY, PROCEDURE, AND PRACTICE; AND STATISTICS AS PROOF: FUNDAMENTALS OF QUANTITATIVE EVIDENCE. He has written dozens of articles in various areas of law including torts, intellectual property, contracts, antitrust, environmental law, evidence, remedies, and the use of statistical and scientific methods in court.