The Hunter standoff killer team (HSKT) is an advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD) that addresses critical military needs by delivering technologies to the warfighter more quickly. They provide a residual, usable capability to the field on completion.

Deficiencies HSKT address are mobile command and control, aircraft survivability, eyes on the target (acquisition, identification, battle damage assessment) and information management.
Systems that are integral parts of HSKT include:

AH-64D Apache Longbow; Army airborne command and control (A2C2S) aircraft; F/A-18; Advanced tactical forward-looking infra-red radar (ATFLIR); Joint standoff weapon system (JSOW); Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); and TOPARTTM sensor package.

The problem

A manoeuvre commander suffers from poor situational awareness and communications; unable to track assets or access sensor information in real-time. It is difficult for him to stay in the battle and see the fight. He is forced to fight the plan, not the enemy.

In Kosovo unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were deployed to give commanders better information. These assets belonged to intelligence; aviation units had to provide an LNO with communications at the ground station to exploit the UAV's capabilities. Also, the UAVs had to fly high to survive and ensure no conflict with manned aircraft. As a result, they had difficulty discerning real from false targets. CINCEUR's assessment team found the false target rate in Kosovo 80 per cent plus.

Putting this into perspective for army aviation; manned aircraft have to get up close to detect and identify targets correctly: a dangerous proposition in a lethal integrated air-defence environment.
These deficiencies are not new. TF Hawk learnt in Kosovo of the need for mobile command and control, enhanced survivability/situational awareness, better acquisition and identification of targets, and a requirement to link the Apaches with UAVs.

The solution

The objective of HSKT is to enhance a commander's situational awareness and ability to command and control in the joint/coalition environment, enhance aircrew survivability and situational awareness and greatly increase the lethality of our forces.

This will improve the ability of the joint task force/manoeuvre commander to move around the battlefield and stay in the fight. Three enabling technologies are being integrated into the joint task force by this ACTD: cognitive decision aiding, manned/unmanned teaming and precision targeting.

If they had been available to TF Hawk in Kosovo, these technologies could have made a big difference to the joint/coalition forces.

Manned-unmanned (MUM) teaming is one of the enabling technologies incorporated into HSKT. It extends the shooter's eyes on target by using a UAV and its sensors and linking it to manned aircraft. The pilot uses the sensor on the UAV just as he uses the sensor onboard his own aircraft, except the UAV sensor can be 50-80km in front of the aircraft! This gives an unprecedented standoff range from threat weapon and acquisition systems.
Army experiments at air manoeuvre battle laboratory (AMBL) at Fort Rucker, have established significant tactical advantages gained by teaming MUM aerial platforms to conduct tactical reconnaissance. Teaming manned helicopters with tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (TUAV) provides the manoeuvre force commander with combined surveillance and reconnaissance at tactical level.

The aviation and missile research, development, and engineering centre's aviation applied-technology directorate (AATD) at Fort Eustis, VA and AMBL worked together to develop the MUM team concept. AATD's airborne manned-unmanned system technology (AMUST) programme is pursuing solutions to the challenges of teaming UAVs and helicopters. AMBL has conducted a series of experiments to define and measure teaming benefits and establish MUM team TTPs.

Cognitive decision aiding (CDA)

Another critical enabling technology for HSKT is CDA, the value of which was proven in the final evaluation/demonstration of the Rotorcraft pilot's associate (RPA) advanced technology demonstration (ATD). RPA was the culmination of over 20 years and $175m of DoD investments in tactical CDA.

Working with the air manoeuvre battle laboratory at Ft Rucker, RPA technology is being adapted to create the mobile commander's associate (MCA). MCA allows the JTF commander to do in the air, on the move, all he can do from the ground-based tactical operations centre, albeit more efficiently. MCA acts as his on-board staff. The system tracks all entities, monitors team status, alerts the commander to changing situations, and develops an optimum course of action through management and fusion of intelligence data.

The RPA technology also is being adapted to create the Warfighter's associate (WA), an associate system for attack and reconnaissance helicopters. WA allows the AH-64D to use UAV as wingman to increase situation awareness within current cockpit workload and produce a more survivable, more responsive manned platform. Implementing this associate capability will minimise the impact on the target system's architecture and provide the associate capability through a page link. All capabilities will be accessed through this link and an additional linkage to the UAV sensor through the target systems display.

The HSKT approach to implementation is to make the associate system software based with no preprocessed data requirements. The associate system will use a download from ground-based command post planner. It will auto-update the situational overlays based on message and sensor traffic (JSTARS, Link-16, JVMF, etc.) and have the capability to plan and execute plans for multiple systems to include fixed and VTOL UAVs, wingmen and other systems. The technical approach will be compatible with AH-64D (Lot 7 and up), RAH-66 and A2C2S architectures.

Teaming the unmanned system with the manned platforms will increase target identification range, increase standoff range and survivability. Associate technology and digital connectivity among the team will improve timelines, reduce staffing, and increase lethality. Precision targeting also will increase lethality and timelines.

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