{"id":19307,"date":"2015-04-19T14:19:48","date_gmt":"2015-04-19T14:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2015\/04\/19\/marine-corps-wants-drones-that-can-operate-at-sea\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:46:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:46:59","slug":"marine-corps-wants-drones-that-can-operate-at-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2015\/04\/19\/marine-corps-wants-drones-that-can-operate-at-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine Corps wants drones that can operate at sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Marine Corps returns to its amphibious roots, the service&#8217;s top aviators say its next generation unmanned aerial vehicles must be capable of operating aboard ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Corps&#8217; future UAVs <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">next generation unmanned aerial vehicles <\/span>will be big, small and everything in between. They will be capable of surveillance, logistic support, direct attack missions and possibly even medical evacuation. Some will be fixed wing and others will be rotary wing. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Some will even be optionally manned. But, they must all share one thing in common, said the service&#8217;s top aviators Tuesday. They must be capable of operating aboard ships.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the challenge will be developing large UAVs \u2014 group four and five, which rival manned aircraft in size and speed \u2014 that can take off from and land aboard ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, Marines saw great success with the MQ-9 Reaper when striking targets in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Brig. Gen. (sel.) Karsten Heckl, the assistant deputy commandant for aviation at the Sea-Air-Space conference in mid-April. But it can&#8217;t currently operate from a ship, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">What do you think of when you think of group four and five UAVs \u2014 those that rival manned aircraft in size and speed \u2014 asked <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Brig. Gen. Sel. Karsten S. Heckl, the assistant deputy commandant for aviation, during a joint-service panel discussion <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">about future UAV programs <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">titled <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;The Unmanned Vehicle Race: Where are we headed?&#8221;<\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">at this year&#8217;s Sea, Air, Space exposition. Most people think of the MQ-9 Reaper which was used with great success to strike targets in Iraq and Afghanistan.&#8221;That&#8217;s a problem because that doesn&#8217;t go on a ship,&#8221; he said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marine drone squadrons used enjoyed long, land-based runways. That is not a luxury they will have as the service bolsters its crisis response mission and rolls out its Expeditionary Force 21 concept of operations. Both are heavily reliant on sea-based operations from amphibious craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That point was reiterated during another panel at the conference<span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> later panel, also Tuesday,<\/span> about the future of naval aviation. Lt. Gen. Jon M. Davis, deputy commandant for aviation, said future UAVs must be suited for <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">to <\/span>expeditionary operations. If it can land on a ship, it can probably also land on a 3,000-foot runway at a <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">expeditionary <\/span>forward operating base<span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> runway<\/span>, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since much of the Corps&#8217; <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Because of requirements for <\/span>gear<span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> that<\/span> is suited for <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">to <\/span>expeditionary operations, the service has focused on developing and buying small UAVs. Unmanned aircraft that fall in that category \u2014 groups one through three \u2014 <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">much of the Marine Corps&#8217; current resources allocated to UAV development and procurement are focused on small group one through group three UAVs. Those <\/span>range in size from less than 20 pounds flying under 100 feet, to those like the RQ-7 Shadow, which weighs more than 300 pounds and can fly thousands of feet high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those UAVs tend to <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">mostly <\/span>support small-unit maneuver warfare, providing battlefield surveillance or \u2014 in cases like the Corps&#8217; Switchblade drone \u2014 the ability to deliver a 40mm-grenade-equivalent payload <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">through a window <\/span>on a platform that weighs less than <span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> is under <\/span>10 pounds and fits in a Marine&#8217;s pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">Whatever shape future platforms take, <\/span>Heckl said the Corps will need <span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> trend is also towards <\/span>multi-mission aircraft that can conduct <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">execute the broad spectrum of missions. UAVs will from lethal to<\/span> surveillance and carry out lethal strikes. They&#8217;ll also need UAVs that can provide over-watch for long periods and <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">offer long times on station and <\/span>are interconnected with other drones operating in the area, which the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> \u2014 a hat tip to the so-called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/story\/military\/tech\/2015\/04\/04\/marine-corps-develops-futuristic-uav-capabilities\/70506822\/\" title=\"http:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/story\/military\/tech\/2015\/04\/04\/marine-corps-develops-futuristic-uav-capabilities\/70506822\/\">swarm technology the <\/a><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/story\/military\/tech\/2015\/04\/04\/marine-corps-develops-futuristic-uav-capabilities\/70506822\/\" title=\"http:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/story\/military\/tech\/2015\/04\/04\/marine-corps-develops-futuristic-uav-capabilities\/70506822\/\">Marine Corps Warfighting Lab is now working to develop<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We want something that can do airborne early warning, maybe medical evacuation and oh, why don&#8217;t we have something that can do air-to-air,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And to make drones easier to operate, the Marine Corps wants them <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">What is more, they would like them <\/span>to fit a common control architecture. That would <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">that <\/span>allow<span class=\"rte rte-comment\">s<\/span> a single control station to pilot any of the service&#8217;s drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Davis said <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">offered <\/span>the Corps&#8217; <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">service&#8217;s <\/span>K-Max logistics helicopter that was deployed successfully to Afghanistan and autonomously slung thousands of pounds of gear to FOBs across the Marine area of responsibility, is as an example of a large UAV that could operate off a ship. And since it can operate either manned or unmanned, it can<span class=\"rte rte-comment\"> and could<\/span> execute a number of complex missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3294\" height=\"2241\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg 3294w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg?resize=300,204 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg?resize=768,522 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg?resize=1024,697 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg?resize=1536,1045 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635648107460250993-7303714846-e311c5dddf-ojpg.jpg?resize=2048,1393 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3294px) 100vw, 3294px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HOT HOOK-UP\r\rMarines with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 return from familiarizing themselves with the downward thrust of a Kaman K1200, or &#8220;K-MAX,&#8221; unmanned helicopter during initial testing in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 22. Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 pioneered the first unmanned, mid-flight external cargo hookups, and delivered approximately 6,000 pounds of gear in their first day of testing.\r(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Marines had great success with the K-Max, an unmanned helicopter, while in Afghanistan. Leaders say now they have to find ways to operate unmanned vehicles on ships or in places with short runways.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Photo Credit: Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot\/Marine Corps<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is pegged as a logistics helicopter, but he said it has a 5,000-pound payload and an array of strong capabilities.&#8221;I&#8217;ll tell you what I want it to do,&#8221; he said is his response to those who seek to narrowly define its future role, opening the door to possible attack and medical evacuation missions. The ladder, however, is dependent on other advances in medical technology that would allow casualties to be monitored and cared for in transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Navy and Coast Guard officials also <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">The discussion was not limited to aerial vehicles. The Coast Guard and Navy <\/span>addressed efforts to develop unmanned vehicles for <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">the <\/span>aquatic environments. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">and <\/span>Marine officials are also <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">mentioned efforts to<\/span> developing unmanned ground vehicles like the <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">an <\/span>Internally Transportable Vehicle designed to fit in the belly of an MV-22 Osprey. <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">That vehicle cannot recognize and avoid a Marine in the prone position yet, however, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Killiea, director of the services Futures Directorate, commanding general of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and the Vice Chief of Naval Research, who also sat on the panel. That poses a safety threat, but one the service is working to remedy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">In the end, the goal is to develop <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">procure <\/span><span class=\"rte rte-comment\">systems that have supervised autonomy meaning they are given a mission and figure out on their own how to execute to &#8220;reduce the physical and mental burden on Marines.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Marine Corps returns to its amphibious roots, the service&#8217;s top aviators say its next generation unmanned aerial vehicles must be capable of operating aboard ships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[12,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1058],"class_list":["post-19307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"QOUEIBHTYVCDXOTVNUIKIASTUQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2015\/04\/19\/marine-corps-wants-drones-that-can-operate-at-sea\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Marine Corps wants drones that can operate at sea - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the Marine Corps returns to its amphibious roots, the service&#039;s top aviators say its next generation unmanned aerial vehicles must be capable of operating aboard ships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2015\/04\/19\/marine-corps-wants-drones-that-can-operate-at-sea\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marine Corps wants drones that can operate at sea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the Marine Corps returns to its amphibious roots, the service&#039;s top aviators say its next generation unmanned aerial vehicles must be capable of operating aboard ships.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2015\/04\/19\/marine-corps-wants-drones-that-can-operate-at-sea\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-19T14:19:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:46:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James K. 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