Four year strategic plan for Erie Capsim Company Essay

The four year strategic plan will focus on key drivers of the industry, factors determining future of the company, industry attractiveness, and its competitive environment. Each section contains detailed subsections which clearly defines the strategic plan. The plan uses 2009 data and our four year plan runs up to 2013. 1.1   Driving Forces In this industry there are many driving forces. Our top management uses the concept of driving forces to reach consensus on what strategic area represents the industries current driving force. 1.1.1 Research and Development: Our company will be introducing a new High End product every year. In addition we will reposition our performance and size segment products into our initial targeted sections. This will enable a stream or products lined up along the High End, traditional, and Low end sections. In addition we will allow present traditional section products to become a Low End section product so as to create room for segment drift. The company will later introduce a new product to the High End and will finally have four products each in the Low, Traditional, and High end sections during those four years. This way the company will present to clients products in line with their perfect procedure for age, reliability, and positioning. Also the company endeavors to sustain its existing product line, ensure presence in each section, and strive to sustain its products in the next four years in spite high levels of automation. 1.1.2 Marketing: Marketing is another main driving force. At first our company will attempt to keep pace with the accessibility and awareness of immediate competitor’s products.   Ideally we will be revisiting our status every year for the next four years to determine whether promotion and sales budgets should be sized or if the company will continue matching that of competitors. Generally our company will offer products at reduced prices. Also for these four years our company is planning to spend aggressively in sales and promotion in targeted sections; Low, Traditional, and High sections. In this light every client will have known our superb designs for the next four years. Basically, we are planning simplify logistics involved in identifying products by customers. After defining the company’s cost leadership position, we will reconsider the company’s situation to explore alternatives to enhance accessibility and awareness. 1.1.3    Production: Significantly our company will significantly increase automation levels on all products in the next four years. Since automation limits the company’s ability to reposition its products in line with R&D, we will edge our automation process in the Low and Traditional sections in the next two years and then High end section during the last two years. Our company will ensure capacity building to meet the generated demand. In the first half we will reposition our brands. However, in the last half we will evaluate ways of increasing in automation levels to enhance margins as well as repositioning products and sustaining sections as they traverse the perceptual map. 1.1.4 Finance The nature of our industry allows it to draw funds from a wide source. During the first half the company will finance its investments mainly through bond issues supplementing with stock offers following an as needed basis. For last half, the company will develop a divided policy and start to retire stock. The company is not adverse to leverage and expectation is that we will sustain debt/equity ratio at 2.0-3.0. 1.2   Future key success factors Factors for success in our company include; 1.2.1 Concentration: Our company will concentrate on Low, Traditional, and High end sections. This will keep production costs, raw material costs, and R&D costs to a minimum. Also company product lifecycle concentration will enable us to reap sales for the next four years on each of the four new products to be introduced into High end section. 1.2.2 Brand recognition and awareness The company will maintain presence in every section. We will endeavor to ensure a competitive edge by differentiating our products. This will be done through excellent design, easy accessibility, and high awareness during first half. In the other half, the company will initiate a competent R&D that ensures fresh and exciting designs. Products will be in line with the market needs, presenting enhanced performance and size. 1.3   Attractiveness of industry and competitive environment 1.3.1       Factors making the industry attractive Several factors make our company to be attractive.   These are factors that will determine how far our company can remain still. These include;  ·    Reliable products: will ensure products which are reliable to mainstream clients and brands that offer value.  · Premium products: our company offers good products and brands that will stand the test of time.  ·    Low price: the company offers products at reduced prices. Its brands offer solid value.  ·    Easy technology: our products are reliable even to low technology customers 1.3.2 factors making the industry unattractive  · Funding: the market is unpredictable and there getting enough financial support is a problem  · Extensive research: product sustainability requires an extensive research. This adds to cost by way of experts and professionals. 1.3.3 special industry issues/problems  · Product presence: our company plans to maintain a competitive advantage by ensuring presence in every section.  · Unrelenting focus: concentration ensures brand recognition which leads to unique opportunity over competitors.  · Substitutes: the company is likely to suffer incase substitutes flood market, particularly during last half.  · New entrants: during the first two years the company will enjoy monopoly but in last two years entrants are likely to enter the market. 1.3.4 Profit outlook The company currently is enjoying a profit margin of 20%. This strategic plan aims to grow the profit by additional 10% for first two years and another 15% in the last two years.

Honda Motor Company Ltd. Essay

How does Mr. Honda’s history with suppliers relate to Honda’s current supply management strategy? Honda’s current supply management strategy is consistent with Mr. Honda’s history. There three factors about Honda’s supply management strategy, focus on local market, emphasis on competition and reliable suppliers. According to the Honda’s export strategy of â€Å"Honda and U.S. – Japan Automotive Trade†(1997), it is clearly that Honda focuses on regional markets which contributes to developing more sales, strong research and better development. And their strategy of manufacturing the products where or near to where they are sold is the result of their being local strategy. Additionally, focus on local market benefits not only Honda but also the local government. Taking the US market as an example, on one hand, â€Å"Honda’s commitment to global trade and the positive benefits that result for U.S. jobs, suppliers, consumers and exports.† On the other hand, when the government benefits from Honda, it is easier for Honda to develop in the future. The other one is that Honda always emphasizes the competition of globalization. And during the intense competition, finding reliable suppliers to ensure and advance the quality of production is very important. Being globalization is the corollary goal if one company wants to make more benefit. And reliable suppliers are of great significance for company. This is the foundation of being on time as well as having good quality. Furthermore, Honda’s suppliers are able to be involved in the development process to give suggestion and have negotiation with Honda. In this way, Honda has access to know how to make it better and faster. Why is purchasing so important at Honda? Purchasing is important to Honda because of its strategy to be globalization. As Honda is a transnational corporation, it is very important to know the different policy, culture and environment in different local places in order to producing saving, managing contracts effectively and maintaining productive supplier relationships. Effective supply chain management depends on material availability, purchase volume, product cost and types of materials. As there thousands of parts in a car, sometimes materials should be bought from all over the world to reduce cost. Purchasing ensures the lowest price with good quality. And with communication as well as  negotiation to the suppliers, it is possible to make all the products to be produced on time with lower cost which is very important. Additionally, purchasing takes what kind of contract is the best into consideration which contributes to managing contracts effectively. Due to the different environment in every location, an appropriate type of contract benefits Honda and suppliers at the same time. Furthermore, as mentioned above, Honda pays a lot attention to the relationship with suppliers. One of the important part of purchasing is negotiating with the suppliers. With good negotiation and communication, it not only increases the chance of getting better deal but also contributes to establishing positive relationship with suppliers. How does purchasing rank in the corporate structure at Honda? Purchasing ranks highly in the corporate structure at Honda. It is in charge of local purchasing which decides the local suppliers as well as the global source. Besides, it has the option of adding a second source of supply. How is Honda organized globally? How does this help/hinder the purchasing function at Honda? Honda has lead automotive exporter which increase the buying and selling power for Honda. Honda focus on the localization as well as globalization which neutralizes the effect of currency rate. However, it also causes some problems such as at the beginning it is hard to coordinate between the local and the global. But this problem has been solved when the international purchasing department strengthen its macro-control of the local and global purchasing. Honda is sensitive to international requirements which means it takes advantages as well as create opportunities with local government. Since 1986 the MOSS came out, Honda created thousands of job opportunities in US and in turn it gets a lot benefit. What are the key elements of Honda’s supplier evaluation policy? How does it differ from others (e.g. the Big Three)? Suppliers are able to be involved in the product development to some degree. Different from others which control everything during purchasing and the suppliers are just responsible for supplying products as what is in the contract, Honda’s suppliers are able to offer advice about enhancing the efficiency which facilitate the cooperation as well as the products. In other words, Honda and its suppliers are mutually-beneficial cooperation rather than Honda just relies on suppliers. Continuous development and responsiveness of suppliers at the early age of product development process is critically important. â €Å"Honda tries to  encourage suppliers’ suggestions early before finalizing drawings, particularly in the area of cost reduction and quality improvement.† Honda always tries to maintain relationship with suppliers. It is hard to communicate effectively in Honda’s four trade zone but Honda always pays attention to it. As Mr. Morita says, â€Å"Honda places value on maintaining relationships, so we do not enter into them lightly.† Different from companies which focus on the immediate benefit of low cost rather than long-term benefits of maintaining relationship, Honda values suppliers and tries best to maintain good relationship with suppliers which turns out to be a very economical strategy. Because changing suppliers or having problems with current suppliers always takes a lot of time and money of fix it. What is Honda’s policy on new product development and supplier involvement? How does it differ from other automotive companies? Honda’s policy on new product development and supplier involvement includes two pars: Pacific Automotive Cooperative since 1986 and Re-assigned Pacific Automotive Cooperative since 1995. The former one was signed by Japanese and American government which required companies to report all of their import and localization volumes. The latter one consisted of 32 shareholders from joint venture composed of Japanese automakers which was established to meet political objecti ve for production in North America. Both of the policies emphasize on the involvement and cooperation of suppliers. Different from other automotive companies, suppliers of Honda have access to have knowledge of product development process and to offer suggestion which enhance the relationship between Honda and suppliers as well as promote the production efficiency. Honda’s culture have always emphasized globalization. Honda cultivated an international background at a very early age resulting in getting along with suppliers well. Conversely, Nissan and Toyota primarily exported vehicles, and did not develop this international culture. Does Honda support local sourcing from domestic suppliers? What are the advantages / disadvantages of this approach? Yes, Honda strongly supports local sourcing from domestic suppliers. Advantages: Firstly, it is easier for Honda to create and develop domestic market with domestic suppliers which understand customer culture and market better than Honda itself. Secondly, domestic suppliers decrease the cost of time and  money to distribute and produce. Thirdly, as there may be several domestic suppliers, so Honda has more options to choose the best one. And additionally,, domestic suppliers lower the risk of discontinuousness. Disadvantages: At the beginning of purchasing, domestic suppliers may be lacking in specific raw materials or components. And furthermore, how to adjust the domestic suppliers with global market is very important. Honda’s policy and commit to long-term relationships has been criticized as being â€Å"too loyal†, and Honda will go to â€Å"ridiculous lengths† to maintain a supplier relationship before severing ties. What do you think about these criticisms? Although Honda’s policy is criticized, in my opinion, it is still of great significance. When choosing suppliers, quality of products they supply compared with the cost and delivery fee are the most important factors. If the suppliers were able to satisfy these requirements, there is no need to change suppliers. Additionally, Honda keeps increasing the relationship with suppliers by involving them into the product development process, which benefits both Honda and suppliers. Stable and long-term relationship doesn†™t equal ridiculous lengths. With efforts, it is one way to increase the quality of suppliers.

An In Depth Interview Psychology Essay

An In Depth Interview Psychology Essay What is research. When asked, most people would answer questionnaires or surveys. These kinds of research people more familiar with are quantitative research. However, in this article, the main focus is on qualitative research, which is widely used in academic and professional areas (Holliday, 2002). So, what is quantitative research? Mason (2002:1) believes that: â€Å"Through qualitative research we can explore a wide array of dimensions of the social world, including the texture and weave of everyday life, the understanding, experiences and imagining of our research participants, the ways that social processes, institutions, discourses or relationship work, and the significance of the meaning that they generate.† Therefore, from this perspective, it could be derived that for qualitative research, pure statistic and numerical data are not sufficient. It needs more description evidence to discover the subjective qualities that govern human behaviours (Holliday, 2002). The so called ‘thick description’, which could be collected through interview, observation or other methods, is the basis for qualitative researchers to understand and explore the social world(Draper, 2004). Due to the complexity of modern society, there are many problems emerged when conducting qualitative researches, for instance, the ethical dilemmas. In order to get a more critical view of qualitative research, the distinction between qualitative research and quantitative research will be highlighted first. Then two typical qualitative research methods, in-depth interview and participate observation, will be critically examined. Followed by that, three examples will be used to further illustrate the challenges of qualitative research. In the end, a conclusion regarding the merits and demerits of qualitative research will be drawn. Two paradigms Primarily, the philosophical basis for qualitative research and quantitative research are different. Both Holliday (2002) and Dra per (2004) state that quantitative research believes that by using right quantitative measurements people could reveal objective facts, while qualitative research rooted in interpretive tradition, which focus on exploring the underlying meanings of social phenomena. As a result, qualitative and quantitative research differ in their analytical process, research design, methods of collecting data and the approach to analyse and interpret data(Draper, 2004). Rather than by using a deductive process, qualitative research prefers inductive procedure (Gephart, 2004). Therefore, qualitative research provides extra opportunities for researchers to discover insight views and get new understandings of social phenomena (Willig, 2008). Also, Gephart (2004) states that the ‘thick description’ provided by qualitative research enriches the basis for understanding the social world. However, qualitative research also has its own limitations. As Willig (2008) points out that qualitative research do not ensure certainty, the objectivity of researcher is not realistic and the results are not predictive, since qualitative studies always carry out with small sample size but in depth. Moreover, similar qualitative studies due to the different use of methods are impossible to compare or integrate (Willig, 2008). As a consequence, Draper (2004) suggests, although qualitative and quantitative researches are different from their ontological foundation, they could complement each other. In addition, recent studies (Bryman, 2006; Kinn and Curzio, 2005; Sherman and Strang, 2004) show that there is a growth trend of combining these two methods together, in spite of the continuation of debate about integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. After examining the merits and demerits of qualitative research, it is the time to discuss the two dominant methods used in qualitative research, in-depth interview and participant observation.

Valuation of Common Stock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Valuation of Common Stock - Essay Example Also, the company may be able to attract better personnel as the company will be able to offer stock options. Stock options have the potential to substantially gain in value. In addition, generally the personnel will not have to invest as much of their own money in the company (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). Also, Citrus Glow International will promote the company. In general, publicly traded businesses are more widely known than non-publicly traded businesses. The business gains publicity and an image of stability through trading publicly (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). Going public requires a time commitment in setup and in statutory compliance. In addition, it will take the business owners' and managers' attention away from the everyday management of the company (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). Also, going public requires money. The business will need to pay for the time spent on compliance. In addition, the business will need to pay legal counsel when setting up and maintaining the public offering (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). Moreover, there are many new legal obligations. These include keeping stockowners informed about business operations, management, legal issues, financial standing, and business costs. Company time and money will be spent dealing with these and additional compliance issues (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). Liability issues may arise if the business does not comply (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). Lastly, gaining public shareholders may reduce a business owner's control over the company. This is especially true if shareholders are given approval power over business actions (The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Public online). I agree with Lisa and Joe that Citrus Glow International needs to stay ahead of the game with competitors coming up with substitute products and hence the need to issue IPO. I do not agree with Dan that Citrus Glow International outsource the production and concentrate on its marketing efforts. This is because I agree with Matt that the success of the firm has come from its quality and that would likely be jeopardized if the firm lets others produce the product. However, I agree with Dan's point that the issuance of IPO would result in a loss of control. But as Matt said correctly, the firm can still retain control of a large portion of the shareholding and still raise the much-needed cash. QUESTION 2 The Corporate Value Model suggests that the firm's value is the sum of its discounted free-cash flows. Free cash flows are estimated by subtracting the firm's net capital investment from the year's net operating profits after taxes (NOPAT) and are discounted at a suitable risk-adjusted discount rate (weighted average cost of capital). The firm's equity

Peer review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Peer review - Coursework Example The post has also demonstrated a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and the different media platforms available in the world. Talk show queens enjoy significant influence in the world (Johns, Weir & Weir, 2014). However, it has failed to demonstrate how Ellen Degeneres can boost her Nielsen scores. The score is the most important measure of the ability of a talk show to create and maintain a strong connection with customers. The responses provided suggest that the student did not invest their time in understanding the talk show industry. Moreover, the post has shifted a lot of focus to online channels at the expense of mainstream television channels. Although the latter is facing a stiff challenge from the former, it has succeeded in maintaining its position as the primary source of entertainment for most Americans. Ellen Degeneres should be rewarded for her hard work. She has managed to establish herself as a major player in the entertainment industry (Rocca, 2012). 1 Kings 11:28 indicate that Solomon appointed Jeroboam due to his skills and outgoing nature. Johns, R., Weir, B &Weir, R. (2014). The power of celebrity: exploring the basis for Oprah’s successful endorsement of Australia as a vacation destination. Journal of Vacation Marketing, Online first version, pp.

San Antonio (enviable AAA General Obligation Debt Bond Rating ) Case Study

San Antonio (enviable AAA General Obligation Debt Bond Rating ) - Case Study Example 6). These were validated by the statistics and patterns highlighted above. When compared to other common variables, as noted, San Antonio’s unemployment rate which was 7.4% was comparatively low in contrast to the unemployment rate exhibited by the whole of Texas (8.1%) and of the country, in general (8.8%). This is significant considering that, as reported, San Antonio is the only U.S. City with a population over one million to be given a ‘AAA’ bond rating by all three rating agencies. Further, their rating was likewise compared to the ratings generated by other municipalities, such as Columbus, Ohio and Kirkland, Washington; and the following highlights are noted: It is eminent therefore that rating agencies evaluate the credit ratings of municipalities based on the factors that were revealed. As disclosed by Moody’s, San Antonio’s rating could be changed to lower ratings when the following scenarios occur: â€Å"(1) failure to maintain balanced operations; (2) trend of declining reserves; (3) trend of significant taxable value loss indicating a weakening of economic position; and (4) change in the US rating that results in pressure on local Moodys Investors Services, Inc. "MOODYS ASSIGNS Aaa RATING TO CITY OF SAN ANTONIOS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT REFUNDING BONDS, SERIES 2012;." 26 March 2012. moodys.com. 27 April 2012

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Case study - Essay Example She spent two months in a coma, then her diagnosis was elevated to a vegetative state. Though the doctors spent years trying to help Terri to become aware, it was to no avail. She was physically alive, but her brain was giving up. She had succumbed to being little more than a body only managing to live due to the machines and technology offered by the hospital. It was in 1998 that Terri’s husband, Michael, petitioned to have the feeding tube removed from Terri, which would cause her to die. Terri’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, argued against this decision, claiming that Terri was still alive. In 2001, the court determined that Terri would not want to wish to continue these measures that kept her alive and ordered to have her feeding tube removed. Even though it was replaced several days later, after a lengthy court process that went as far as Federal legislation, the tube was permanently removed in 2005. One side of the argument was that regardless of her condition, Terri Schiavo was still alive. This side favored keeping the feeding tube in unless Terri’s condition deteriorated. The other side argued over the morality of keeping her in a state that caused her to be unaware and unresponsive. Each side felt that they would be acting morally, and that the opposing side of the argument were being very immoral in their actions. In regard to whether or not the actions to remove Terri from her feeding tube were moral or immoral, all that needs to be considered is that Terri Schiavo had been unable to make the decision for herself whether or not she wanted to continue to live. Therefore, the court had no right to determine that she would not have wanted to continue the use of the feeding tube. While they may have made a valid point, there was no way of knowing for sure what was truly in the best interest of Terri. As such, as long as something was

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Recruitment Process: The recruitment process starts right after devising the right job analysis which highlights the nature of the job, main tasks and responsibilities needed to be carried out by the potential employee (Pearn and Kandola, 1993). Job analysis gives a broader vision to the recruiter that what he needs to seek in a potential candidate and what are the demands required according to the nature of the job. It can be further highlighted by devising either a job description or person specification. Job description elaborates the tasks and responsibilities that constitute the job (Bratton and Gold, 2012; p. 224). Job description aids the recruitment agencies and the potential candidates in getting the right idea that what are the requirements an organization is seeking in a potential candidate. A typical job description consists of different elements such as job title, the department, whom should one report to, hierarchal chain, purpose and objectives of a job, requirements o f a job (travelling or working outside) and responsibilities associated with the job. However, person specification revolves around the criteria necessary for the selection of a particular candidate (CIPD, 2012) which according to Taylor (2008) are the presence of necessary skills, experience, education and qualification along with the presence of necessary behavioral attributes. ... The essential and desirable components are almost the same and they should be described more coherently and specifically to help the candidate in understanding the requirements more appropriately. The term â€Å"additional requirements† should be replaced with â€Å"required behavioral characteristics† as described by Taylor (2008). The person specification should explore that what are the basic personality and physical requirements are needed by the organization from a potential candidate. It should also explore that how much of the previous experience is required by the organization in the field of event management specifically, in organizing what types of events, in a detailed manner. It will help the candidate to explain his competencies in an efficient manner which will further help the organization to understand the attitude of the candidate in a better way. The core competencies in a candidate should elaborate his communication skills, people management attitude, whether if he/she is suitable to work in a team, customer services, results and problem solving attitude (CIPD L and D Report, 2007). Critical Analysis of Interview Structure: Interview plays a critical role in the recruitment and selection process. Interview enables the employer and the prospective employee to learn more about each other. It enables the employers to confirm the information disclosed by the candidate on the application form as well as to ask questions and to evaluate the personality of a candidate, his character, oral skills and the capability to tackle the tough situations. Interview helps the employers to develop a better understanding about the prospective candidate which is impossible to gain by just reading the application

Answer 1 of 2 given questions with given sources Essay

Answer 1 of 2 given questions with given sources - Essay Example While some perceive him as a leader who abused powers and ignored the ideals of the French Revolution, others consider him as a successful leader who delivered the ideals of the French Revolution to his subjects. In this paper, I will comprehensively discuss the figure of Napoleon Bonaparte, his domestic and foreign policies, with an aim of illustrating whether he destroyed or preserved ideals of the French Revolution. Napoleon was a great strategist, a genius, a man with great self-control and very keen to protect his reputation. He had no friends and loved nobody simply because he believed that a man must be firm and have a resolute heart in order to protect the freedoms of citizens and fight the enemies of political, economic and social progress1. In the Napoleon’s diary, he evidently believed that his success and reputation depended on his ability to win wars, and this made him fight strongly for the freedom of French nationalist. â€Å"My power proceeds from my reputation, and my reputation from the victories I have won†¦conquest has made me what I’m; only conquest can maintain me."2 Being a genius and a strategist enabled him maintain an army that could hardly be overpowered. He had a team of secret police that was headed by Joseph Fouchà ©, spies in every corner of his territory to counteract unfriendly governments and watch the actions of friendly powers3. The police f orce that was supported by millions of taxpayers’ money was predominant in helping Napoleon seize freedom from his political adversaries. What’s more, in many battles, he fought alongside his militias hence giving them inspiration and the army became very loyal to him. Apparently, it makes sense to consider Napoleon as a leader who preserved the ideals of the French Revolution. Upon completion of the revolution, Napoleon had fulfilled the ideals that the

Assigning Evaluation and Management Essay Example for Free

Assigning Evaluation and Management Essay Individual Assigning Evaluation and Management (E/M) Codes 1. Initial consultation for a 78-year-old woman with unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. Comprehensive history and examination performed. 99205 This history and examination were comprehensive and dealt with several body systems, so 99205 is the better E/M code to use. 2. 30-year-old patient presents complaining of flu-like symptoms characterized by unremitting cough, sinus pain, and thick nasal discharge. Examination reveals bronchitis and sinus infection. Patient is prescribed a five-day course of Zithromax. 99202 The case does not distinguish whether the patient was a new or an established patient. Without this knowledge, I would use the code 99202. 3. Established patient on Lithium presents for routine blood work to monitor therapeutic levels and kidney function. Nurse reviews the results and advises the patient that tests are normal and no change in dosage is indicated. 99211 This patient is an existing patient with an established history, so 99211 is the proper E/M code to use. 4. 62-year-old diabetic female presents for check-up and dressing change of wound on left foot. Examination reveals that the wound is healing. Nurse applied new dressing and patient will return for check-up in one week. 99212 I have selected 99212 because the patient has diabetes and is there for a routine check-up and dressing change. Because the wound is healing and the patient will return for another check-up, 99212 is the best/M code. 5. A mother brings in her six-month-old male child for routine wellness check. Examination reveals the child to be in good health and making adequate progress. 99215 This is a routine wellness check, which is an extensive visit to ensure the baby is doing well and continues developing on schedule.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Subconventional War

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Subconventional War CHAPTER- I INTRODUCTION 1. Many military strategists and theorists have concluded, based on recent history, the nature of future wars will be limited to regional and intrastate conflicts. Large interstate wars such as World Wars One and Two and the Persian Gulf War are not likely to be the wars of the future. UAVs are increasingly standard features of the modern combat theaters and Low Intensity Conflict zones where ISR missions may need to be carried out. Todays ISR missions are sophisticated operations. Covert or overt, they are executed using traditional techniques and modern technology – with expensive equipment and infrastructures often requiring highly skilled operators. Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs)/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are small unmanned aircraft which came into being as mans quest for newer and better tools of warfare. 2. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will play a key role in dealing with low intensity conflicts abetted by both internal elements and unfriendly neighbours. Indias great neighbours not being really friendly be it Pakistan or China. Avoiding all risk to human life or manned search aircraft operating in hostile territory, poor weather or hazardous environments, UAVs fitted with sensors can be used to safely perform the Search-Locate-Identify elements of importance in a missions. Unmanned (or uninhabited) aerial vehicles (UAVs) are methodically becoming a central theme in the mosaic of Air Force systems and capability. The questions regarding employment of UAVs are not so much about if they should be developed but how to integrate them into Air Force doctrine and organizations. The Study identified reconnaissance UAVs as one of the high leverage systems of the future. Accordingly, the Air Force has made a concerted effort to develop UAVs and sensor technologies with a particular emphasi s on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications. This paper addresses considerations for improving the future application of UAVs for the ISR mission and their employment in LICO across our vast borders. Specifically, this research illustrates that UAVs in concert with manned and space assets addresses several Air Force ISR needs. Furthermore, the Air Force should seize the opportunity to leverage the rapid advances in sensor and information technology to increase the capability of UAVs to perform ISR while also performing other vital air power missions. 3. Used as drones in the First World War, RPVs since then have been used as targets for artillery guns, missiles and piloted aircraft or to bring exposed film of hostile territory. With advanced technology, RPVs are now being so designed so as to carry payloads for varied purposes and missions, such as for surveillance (TV cameras, Infra Red (IR) Imagers, sensors) or equipment for electronic counter measures (radar jammers, flares or chaff) or strictly for employment as weapon platforms. 4. A number of countries are today engaged in RPV development projects, prominent amongst these being UK, USA, France and Israel. It has been stated that the RPVs will be able to take on a number of missions and assignments, which are currently being performed by manned aircraft. As tactical aircraft are too few and too expensive to launch for random searches for targets in a battle area, manned reconnaissance (recce) in particular is being reduced in emphasis in favour of RPVs, which are cheaper. The comparative cost of a lost RPV vis-Ã  -vis a manned aircraft with a trained pilot is in itself a sufficient and good enough reason for undertaking such a research and development. 5. RPV can provide close recce of troops deployed in depth which would otherwise have to be undertaken by fighter aircraft, perform spotting functions for incoming munitions and designate as well as destroy targets, Jam enemys electronic equipment, act as radio relay stations and provide real-time intelligence. Further, by penetrating an enemys territory they alert electronic systems and this leads to their early detection. RPVs are therefore about to become an invaluable accretion for providing real-time, over the battlefield surveillance capability. But for all its virtues it is still being debated as to whether an RPV will be able to stand and fight alone or would it only compliment an air force. 6. Of the principles of war defined by Clausewitz the element of surprise has probably made the greatest contribution to success. In the military context therefore the denial of surprise to a potential aggressor is paramount. Equally the acquisition of intelligence is a vital factor in any operational venture. From the very earliest days of aviation the foresighted became aware of the use of aerial platforms for reconnaissance tasks. This has been true throughout the history of warfare. The Second World War saw a quantum leap in reconnaissance from the third dimension. In the Arab Israel wars of 1967 and 1973 the use of aerial reconnaissance enabled Israel dramatically to demonstrate the use of force multiplication through intelligence gained. Air reconnaissance has always been important to the success in war. It is the UAV whose time has come in ensuring that aerial reconnaissance continues to give intelligence in a high intensity air defence scenario. They have proved their worth i n reconnaissance and surveillance. 7. In an age of shrinking defence budgets, expensive manned aircraft and high cost of aircrew training most of the modern armed forces around the world are realising the need to employ RPVs for missions in the dense hostile Air Defence (AD) environment. Missions which were considered extremely dangerous and yet important can now be undertaken by RPVs with relative impunity. Owing to their small radar, IR signature and the ability to spoof the enemy, RPVs can give vital real time data about the enemy to commanders on the ground. RPVs if employed intelligently can make a significant contribution by keeping manned aircraft out of the hostile AD threats while providing real time information and at the same time denying the same by effective electronic warfare to the decision makers in a conflict between adversaries. Statement of the Problem 8. To study and evaluate the efficacy of employing UAVs in ISR role in sub-conventional warfare in the Indian context with special reference to counter terrorist operation across our vast borders. Justification of the Study 9. The UAV has shown, in counter-insurgency and in anti-terrorist operations as much as in war, the critical importance of an eye in the sky. UAV can be effectively employed in gathering the intelligence in terrorist training camps, their infiltration routes etc, to build an effective databank for use in the future. The Israel Army has deployed a new miniature unmanned aerial vehicle in counter-insurgency operations over the West Bank. The Israeli army has launched operations of the Skylark tactical UAV for counter-insurgency missions in the northern West Bank. Skylark began flying missions in late 2005 in what marked the first operational deployment of the new UAV. The MQ-1 Predator, armed with the AGM-114 Hellfire missile continues to be one of the US militarys most requested systems, assisting in the execution of the global war on terror by finding, fixing, tracking, targeting, engaging, and assessing suspected terrorist locations. 10. Historically unmanned aircrafts have been employed successfully in number of conventional operations. Their relatively low cost and the modest political embarrassment likely to be caused by their loss, seems to make them irreplaceable especially in a LICO environment where the enemy is difficult to identify and the political compulsions are high. UAVs can facilitate employment of aircraft, long-range guns and missiles by accurate target acquisition.. UAVs hold out a promise of providing a range of ISR and other support missions. Some of these are battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance, fire control and direction, communication and radar suppression. This study has been prompted in being able to identify and analyse the technical and tactical requirements of a UAV for aerial reconnaissance and to suggest the principle of employment for the task in sub conventional war.. 11. The day of the UAV as a natural ingredient of military thinking is much nearer than it was a decade ago, but there is still a need for clearer and more widespread understanding of what the UAV can be used to do as a tool for reconnaissance in a sub-conventional warfare which is more likely to be faced by our country in the future. Hypothesis 12. UAVs have been proposed for several mission areas including ISR, communications, and weapons delivery. The UAVs were used extensively in recent war. Direction is needed to ensure these maturing UAVs are used in the most effective way. The on-going revolution in sensor technology that will improve the UAVs ability to perform ISR missions now conducted by high-value, manned assets. 13. Todays ISR missions are sophisticated operations. Covert or overt, they are executed using traditional techniques and modern technology – with expensive equipment and infrastructures often requiring highly skilled operators. The requirement for information is likely to keep increasing as warfare becomes more oriented towards reconnaissance-strike. In future scenarios, no one system is going to be able t o meet all data collection requirements. Manned aircraft will not be available for all the intelligence needs of the warfighter. Satellite systems also have limitations that will prevent them from being the sole suppliers of information. The capabilities of UAVs make them ideally suited to fill the increasing void between intelligence requirements and existing data collection capability. Scope 14. The scope of this dissertation is to go into the evolution of UAVs, development and employment of UAV in recent wars. It will concentrate on the ISR aspects while identifying the characteristics/requirements of a UAV in a sub-conventional war. As UAVs being one of the high leverage systems of the future, the Air Force has to make a concerted effort to procure UAVs and sensor technologies with a particular emphasis on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications. This paper addresses considerations for improving the future application of UAVs for the ISR mission. Furthermore, the Air Force should seize the opportunity to leverage the rapid advances in sensor and information technology to increase the capability of UAVs to perform ISR while also performing other vital air power missions. 15. The scope of this dissertation is to critically analyse the efficacy of employment of UAVs in Armed role in sub-conventional environment which is more likely to be faced by India in future. It aims to study the application of UAV in LICO, study the advantages of employing UAVs in LICO in ISR role and suggest the philosophy for employment of UAVs in LICO in the ISR role. Methods of Data Collection 16. The information in this dissertation has been collected from the reference material available in the DSSC Library and from the Internet. The bibliography of the sources is appended at the end of the text. Organisation of the Dissertation 17. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- (a) Chapter I. Introduction. (b) Chapter II . Evolution of UAVs. (c) Chapter III . Classification of UAVs. (d) Chapter IV . Characteristics of UAVs. (e) Chapter V . Importance of UAVs and ISR Sensors. (f) Chapter VI . Principles of employment of the UAV for aerial reconnaissance. (g) Chapter VII . Low intensity conflict operations. (h) Chapter VIII. Employment philosophy for UAVs in sub conventional warfare. (j) Chapter IX . Conclusion CHAPTER II EVOLUTION OF UAVs UAV technology is a vast field with wide and enough scope for exploration to produce a new and challenging tool of warfare VK Madhok Battlefields of The Early 21st Century. History of Evolution of UAVs/RPVs 1. Unmanned aircraft have a history as long as that of aviation itself. Even before the First World War a French artillery officer, Rene Lorin had proposed the use of flying bombs to attack distant targets. This aircraft he suggested could be stabilized in flight by a combination of gyroscopes and barometer, guided along the track by radio signal from an accompanying piloted aircraft propelled by a pulse jet or ram jet engine to hit the target. 2. The drones/RPV idea actually goes back to the technology of the First World War. The grandparents of todays unmanned vehicles were the Kettering bug and Sperry Aerial Torpedo used in 1917 and 1918. They were winged carts on wheels with engines that somehow managed to lift them into the air after a fast start on a pair of rails. Though they flew, they left much to be desired in terms of sophistication and were not useful as an accurate, winged bomb. More successful, however was the effort that lasted from 1928 to 1932 in which the Curtis Robin aircraft was turned into a working drone. Then, in the late 1930s there was a rush of military interest in remotely controlled vehicles, which led to a raft of special weapons including a second Bug, essentially a surface to surface buzz bomb, and the Bat, a radio controlled glide Bomb. Out of this pack came the first truly usable weapon: the crude but legal GB 1, which was a 2000 bomb with plywood wings and rudders and a radio control packag e. These were dropped from B-17s and visually guided by bombardiers to their target. In 1943, 108 GB-1s were dropped on cologne causing heavy damage. Later in the war came the GB-4 Robin, the first television guided weapon and Q-2 developed by Ryan Aeronautical Company (now Teledyne–Ryan) in 1946 from which have developed most of todays modern RPVs/UAVs. 3. In the United States, the UAV has normally been associated with the reconnaissance mission and designed to be a recoverable asset for multiple flight operations. The remotely piloted vehicles (RPV) of the early 1960s were developed in response to the perceived vulnerability of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, which had been downed over the Soviet Union in 1960 and again over Cuba in 1962.Red Wagon was the code name for a 1960 project by Ryan Aeronautical Company to demonstrate how its drones could be used for unmanned, remotely guided photographic reconnaissance missions. As early as 1965, modified Ryan Firebee drones were used to overfly China with some losses experienced. Vietnam War 4. The best known UAV operations were those conducted by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. Ryan BQM-34 (Ryan designation: Type 147) Lightning Bug drones were deployed to the theater in 1964.[iii] . In addition to the reconnaissance role, Teledyne Ryan also experimented with lethal versions of the BQM-34 drone. In 1971 and 1972, drones were armed with Maverick missiles or electro-optically guided bombs (Stubby Hobo) in an attempt to develop an unmanned defense suppression aircraft to be flown in conjunction with manned strike aircraft. 5. The Vietnam War was notable in two regards with respect to unmanned aircraft. It was the first war in which reconnaissance UAV were employed and it was notable for the ubiquity of the drones which was use throughout the war. An average of one mission was flown each day during this lengthy war. Employment in Recent Conflicts 6. Yom Kippur – 73 . It was in 1973, that the Israelis effectively used the RPV for reconnaissance and surveillance. The main unmanned aircraft were Mastiff, Scout and the Pioneer. These could also be used for Electronic Warfare. The valuable information gained from these sorties, besides the fire drawn from Arab SAMs which increased the vulnerability of the Air Defence systems found the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle enjoying a pivotal role in the Israeli success. 7. Bekka Valley – 1982. The Israelis once again explored the use of unmanned aircraft during air operations. Besides surveillance and intelligence gathering drones over the Syrian air space were able to gauge reactions of the air defence systems and cater for suitable counter measure. During the Israeli attack, it is reported that RPVs were used to monitor runway activity, activate Syrian fire control radars so that behind the first wave of decoy aircraft, Israeli aircraft could launch their anti, radiation missiles for neutralization of the radars. A large degree of success can be attributed to the employment of this platform wherein the Syrian had losses of 19 SAM batteries and 86 combat aircraft for the corresponding loss of only a solitary Israeli aircraft. The UAVs used were Teledyne, Scout, Mastiff, Samson and Delilah. It was therefore seen that in a dense AD environment, the use of unmanned aircraft would provide rich dividends. 8. The types of RPVs used were the Teledyne BQM-34, Scout, Mastiff, Samson and Delilah. During the operation certain important lessons were learnt, namely:- (a) Training under operational condition is essential for success of operations. (b) Instead of an all-purpose RPV, a family of RPVs with specific task related capability would be more suitable. (c) Simulation of fighter aircraft with use of corner reflector on RPV could lend an element of surprise. (d) The RPVs proved to be a major force multiplier. (e) The low radar, IR, acoustic and optical signature reduced its vulnerability to ground fire and electronic counter measures. (f) The Bekaa Valley operation proved that RPVs are a cost effective means of conducting reconnaissance, electronic warfare and intelligence gathering. (g) It is an ideal platform for employment in a dense AD environment of a modern TBA. (h) The operations re-emphasized the worlds faith in the utility of RPVs in a modern battle. Gulf War 1991 9. UAVs were used extensively by the US in the Gulf War. The Israeli built Pioneer UAV flew 530 missions into Iraqi territory. The other types of UAVs which were used by the US were the BAI-Exdrone and the French Alpilles-MART. Besides the conventional uses of reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and Arty fire control, UAVs were used innovatively for pre-ingress route reconnaissance of Apache AH-64 helicopters, individual chemical agent detection (ICAD) and command, control, communication and intelligence functions The US Navy used UAVs for detection of enemy vessels, detection of Silkworm anti-shipping missile sites, mine detection and naval gunfire direction. The Multi National Forces employed UAVs like the Pioneer, Pointer, Midge, Mart and the Exdrone for reconnaissance, surveillance and battle damage assessment. The US Marine Corps extensive use of UAVs offset the Armys shortfall in aircraft-based reconnaissance. (a) Pioneer . Six Pioneer units each equipped with five UAVs were deployed in the theatre, three with the US Marines, one with US army and one each on USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin. It was used round-the- clock, using TV or (forward looking infra-red) FLIR sensors, for (reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition (RISTA). The US Navy used it to search for Silkworm sites, air defence arty guns; and command and control bunkers. The US Marines used them for real-time targeting with attack aircraft. Pioneers flew 307 sorties in the campaign logging 1011 hours. Of these, seven were lost two to AD arty and five to non-combat reasons, and 26 were damaged of which 13 were repaired in theater and re-used. Pioneer, already a veteran of activity in the Gulf, reiterated its value, both from the decks of the battleships of USS Missouri and Wisconsin and with the ground forces. One Pioneer achieved a bizarre first for UAVs when a group of Iraqi soldiers, seeing their bunker under observat ion from the circling craft, emerged waving white flags. (b) Pointer . Pointer is a low cost, hand launched and battery operated RPV that is equipped with a TV camera. Weighing only 8 pounds, its use was limited due to strong winds. Nonetheless, pointer was used during the early morning and late afternoons when winds were light. It was often used for rear area security, checking for foot prints in the sand that had not been there the night before. It was also sometimes used to scout roads before vehicles moved down them. (c) F-47A Exdrones . These were deployed during the Gulf War in the surveillance role, carrying miniature colour TV cameras and microwave video transmitters. Amongst other achievements, it detected that Iraqi forces had abandoned their defences in Kuwait, allowing the US Marines to advance more than a day earlier than what had been planned. This was also used in electronic warfare roles such as jamming and communication interception. 10. Some of the important lessons learnt from Gulf War are:- (a) Diverse family of RPVs are required rather than one all-purpose model like Pioneer with US. (b) Smaller, target-spotting tactical RPVs would be easier to operate near the front lines. (c) Larger, long-endurance unmanned vehicles could take off from behind the battle field and yet patrol large strategic areas. (d) Small numbers of low observable RPVs could carry out recce missions with high chance of survival. 11. Bosnian Conflict . The NATO forces in Bosnia used the Tier-2 Predator to monitor the enforcement of cease-fire. Specific tasks included detection of movement of ammunition at night and detection of tampering of mass graves by Bosnian Serbs at night. CHAPTER II I CLASSIFICTION OF UAV Knowledge of an enemys dispositions and movements has always been a key to success in war John WR Taylor, David Mondey Spies in the Sky. 1. Classification of UAVs may be based on important attributes such as range, endurance, flight altitude and launch or recovery methods. Broadly UAVs can be classified into tactical and strategic categories. A further sub division may also include offensive UAVs and Decoys. 2. Relevance. It is important that we understand the broad classification of the UAV tree as it would thereafter be easy to associate roles that can be assigned to the UAV in context of tasks which manned aircraft are required to perform. For any comparison with the manned aircraft, a generic understanding enables us to be able to oversee the debate between manned aircraft vis a vis manned aircraft from an overall objective and broader perspective. 3. Tactical UAV: (a) Micro UAV . Mainly useful for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA), sampling NBC and Electronic Warfare (EW), the range is limited to 10 kms with endurance of less than an hour and max altitude of 250 metres. (b) Mini UAV . Mostly for civil use and similar to micro UAV except that the endurance is greater upto two hours. (c) Close Range UAV . With a range of 10 to 30 Kms, and endurance of 2-4 hrs, ceiling of 3000 meters, this group is used for RSTA, arty correction and mine detection. (d) Short Range UAV . Range of 30-70 Km and an endurance of 3 to 6 hrs, This could also be employed for NBC sampling and post strike damage assessment. (e) Medium Range UAV . The range is enhanced up to 70-200 kms with endurance of 6-10 hr and the altitude band from 3000-5000 metres. This is used for communication relays also. (f) Low Altitude Deep Penetration UAV . The main feature is its ability to escape enemy radar cover. It has an endurance of up to an hour with a range of beyond 250 Km and ceiling limits of 9000 m. This is mainly armed to provide commanders the capability to look deep into enemy territory. (g) Long Range UAV. With a range of up to 1000 kms and endurance of 6-13 hrs, the UAV is mainly employed on RSTA, Post strike damage assessment and communications relays. (h) Endurance UAVs. As the name suggests, it has the ability to operate upto 24 hrs and ranges greater than 500 kms. Utilized for RSTA, post strike damage assessment, relay, Electronic Warfare and NBC sampling. 4. Strategic UAV (a) Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE). The striking feature is that it can be used for weapons delivery. Operating in a range of 500-700 Kms from 234-48 hrs, it can also be used in tactical roles upto a ceiling from 5000 to 8000 metres. (b) High Altitude Long Endurance . Operating in the 15000 – 20000 metres band, it can be utilized as a missile launch vehicle. It operates for ranges upto 6000 kms. 5. Offensive UAV. This category caters for weapons which are anti-tank/vehicle, anti-radar or antiship. 6. Decoys . Certain aerial and naval decoys with endurance ranging from a few minutes to several hours, these may be launched via canisters, rockets or air launched. 22. Sensor Systems . The sensor systems are required for the various modes of reconnaissance which can be carried out by the UAV. These will be discussed in detail further in this paper. The various modes of reconnaissance are:- (a) Photographic Reconnaissance . The main sensor for photographic reconnaissance is the camera. The various types of camera systems for photographic reconnaissance are:- (i) Vertical Photograph Cameras. (ii) Oblique Photograph Cameras. (iii) Pin point Photograph Cameras. (iv) Split Vertical Photograph Cameras. (v) Trimetrogon. (vi) Multi-Camera Fan. (vii) Panoramic. (viii) Long Range Oblique Photography and Long Range Aerial Photography. (ix) Sonne Strip Photography. (x) IR Camera. (b) Infra- red Reconnaissance . The infra-red spectrum is used in reconnaissance in two distinct forms. The reflective portion of the infra-red is made use of in infra-red photography. The emissive portion of the infra-red is used in reconnaissance with the aid of appropriate sensors by a process called thermal imaging. This mode of reconnaissance uses emissive infra-red radiations and employs thermal detectors that transform infra-red radiation into detectable electrical signals. The output electrical voltage is recorded either on a magnetic tape for digital analysis by computer or on a film. The main types of infra-red reconnaissance systems which can be used by the UAV are:- (i) Infra-red Line Scan. (ii) Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR). (c ) Reconnaissance by Electronic Means . Reconnaissance by electronic means involves the use of radar and TV i.e. they need microwave sensors and light sensors. The two main types of reconnaissance by electronic means are thus radar reconnaissance and TV reconnaissance. 7. There is today a very clear direction of evolving UAV for specific purposes. Much like manned aircraft which have specified roles such as Air Defence, Air Interdiction and so on. Specialization is the buzz word in the UAV family wherein by changing payloads different functions can be performed. The broad classification above is likely to undergo changes in the future where specific functional UAVs would be listed. CHAPTER I V CHARACTERISTICS OF UAV Knowledge of an enemys dispositions and movements has always been a key to success in war John WR Taylor, David Mondey Spies in the Sky. UAV And Manned Aircraft A Comparison 1. Cost (a) Cost of Aircraft . The high cost of current generation fighter aircraft is a cause for concern to air force planners the world over. What is worse is their unit cost is continuing to escalate inexorably. A few examples will corroborate the fact. At 1985 prices, USAF aircraft like the P-51 Mustang of 1944 would have cost $ 0.5 million; the F- 100 Super Sabre of 1954 would be a little over $ 2 million; the F-4 Phantom of 1962 would be $ 6 million; while the F-15 Eagle of 1974 would cost $ 25 million. Similarly in the UK, the Harrier GR. 1 of 1970 costs four times as much as the Hunter fighter of the fifties and the Hawk training aircraft costs one and a half times as much as its predecessor the Gnat. In our own air force, the Mirage 2000 cost Rs 24 crores a piece when it was inducted in the Indian Airforce in 1985, while today it is in excess of 120 crores. (b) Cost of In-service Support . It is not just the unit capital cost of aircraft that is rising this way, so is the cost of in-service support. As a rough rule of thumb, the cost of in-service support for an aircraft is about twice the production cost. Statistics from Tactical Air Command of the USAF show that the cost of replenishment spare parts during the in-service life an F-4G aircraft is $ 3.5 million and for an F-15A, it is $ 10.7 million, while the depot maintenance costs for the same aircraft are $ 7.7 million and $ 5.8 million respectively. The total in-service operational and support costs for one aircraft including all items such as fuel, pay for unit personnel, pay for indirect support personnel, support equipment and so on, work out to $ 66.4 million and $ 64.2 million respectively for the two types. (c ) Personnel Costs . The cost of personnel to operate, service and support the aircraft are also high. Combat fighters in the USAF inventory need an average of 17 maintenance specialists for each machine, and a detachment of 24 F-15s for a 30 day period calls for 621 maintenance specialist in 22 different trades, together with 370 tons of equipment. The aircrew are also an expensive asset and their training costs are rising sharply. For example, it costs the RAF a little over $ 5 million at 1987 prices to train a pilot of a fast jet aircraft like the Harrier or a Tornado. (d) Cost of the Training Organization . The ratio of training aircraft to combat aircraft has always been high in any modern air force. For example in the RAF in 1987, there were 758 combat aircraft as compared to 833 in training units (including operational conversion units). It implies that higher the number of combat aircraft in any air force, the number of training aircraft would increase in a higher if not similar proportion. (e) Cost of UAVs versus Aircraft . (i) Mini UAVs . UAVs require neither crew nor crew supporting systems. Therefore, they are bound to be simple, smaller and thus a great deal cheaper than their manned counterparts. For example the unit cost of a Pointer RPV is $10,000. On the other hand the cost of Mig 21, which is used for TAC-R in the Indian Air Force, is $ 1 million. Now if we include the costs of in-service support, personnel costs and the cost of training Organization, the cost balance tips heavily in favor of UAVs. This also means that for same investment, we can have more UAVs and the sheer weight of numbers should be able to make up for whatever deficiencies which result from the absence of a crew. (ii) HALE . Though there are UAVs like the Condor HALE whose unit cost is $ 20 million (at 1993 prices), it would be more appropriate to compare them with satellites; and aircraft like the SR-71, U-2 and Mig 25, due to their role and capability. Then their cost-effectiveness can scarcely be in doubt. (iii) Mission C osts . A comparison of the mission costs of a UAV and an equivalent aircraft for the same role will further corroborate the economy of UAVs. 2. Mobility . (a) Tactical . High mobility and reach are two characteristics of air power which can be exploited in a variety of ways, such as to concentrate for effect or to disperse for survival. It is in these fields that UAVs have a major disadvantage vis-Ã  -vis manned aircraft, since they cannot easily transfer their effort between bases. They need to be transported from one operating site to another whereas a Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Subconventional War Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Subconventional War CHAPTER- I INTRODUCTION 1. Many military strategists and theorists have concluded, based on recent history, the nature of future wars will be limited to regional and intrastate conflicts. Large interstate wars such as World Wars One and Two and the Persian Gulf War are not likely to be the wars of the future. UAVs are increasingly standard features of the modern combat theaters and Low Intensity Conflict zones where ISR missions may need to be carried out. Todays ISR missions are sophisticated operations. Covert or overt, they are executed using traditional techniques and modern technology – with expensive equipment and infrastructures often requiring highly skilled operators. Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs)/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are small unmanned aircraft which came into being as mans quest for newer and better tools of warfare. 2. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will play a key role in dealing with low intensity conflicts abetted by both internal elements and unfriendly neighbours. Indias great neighbours not being really friendly be it Pakistan or China. Avoiding all risk to human life or manned search aircraft operating in hostile territory, poor weather or hazardous environments, UAVs fitted with sensors can be used to safely perform the Search-Locate-Identify elements of importance in a missions. Unmanned (or uninhabited) aerial vehicles (UAVs) are methodically becoming a central theme in the mosaic of Air Force systems and capability. The questions regarding employment of UAVs are not so much about if they should be developed but how to integrate them into Air Force doctrine and organizations. The Study identified reconnaissance UAVs as one of the high leverage systems of the future. Accordingly, the Air Force has made a concerted effort to develop UAVs and sensor technologies with a particular emphasi s on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications. This paper addresses considerations for improving the future application of UAVs for the ISR mission and their employment in LICO across our vast borders. Specifically, this research illustrates that UAVs in concert with manned and space assets addresses several Air Force ISR needs. Furthermore, the Air Force should seize the opportunity to leverage the rapid advances in sensor and information technology to increase the capability of UAVs to perform ISR while also performing other vital air power missions. 3. Used as drones in the First World War, RPVs since then have been used as targets for artillery guns, missiles and piloted aircraft or to bring exposed film of hostile territory. With advanced technology, RPVs are now being so designed so as to carry payloads for varied purposes and missions, such as for surveillance (TV cameras, Infra Red (IR) Imagers, sensors) or equipment for electronic counter measures (radar jammers, flares or chaff) or strictly for employment as weapon platforms. 4. A number of countries are today engaged in RPV development projects, prominent amongst these being UK, USA, France and Israel. It has been stated that the RPVs will be able to take on a number of missions and assignments, which are currently being performed by manned aircraft. As tactical aircraft are too few and too expensive to launch for random searches for targets in a battle area, manned reconnaissance (recce) in particular is being reduced in emphasis in favour of RPVs, which are cheaper. The comparative cost of a lost RPV vis-Ã  -vis a manned aircraft with a trained pilot is in itself a sufficient and good enough reason for undertaking such a research and development. 5. RPV can provide close recce of troops deployed in depth which would otherwise have to be undertaken by fighter aircraft, perform spotting functions for incoming munitions and designate as well as destroy targets, Jam enemys electronic equipment, act as radio relay stations and provide real-time intelligence. Further, by penetrating an enemys territory they alert electronic systems and this leads to their early detection. RPVs are therefore about to become an invaluable accretion for providing real-time, over the battlefield surveillance capability. But for all its virtues it is still being debated as to whether an RPV will be able to stand and fight alone or would it only compliment an air force. 6. Of the principles of war defined by Clausewitz the element of surprise has probably made the greatest contribution to success. In the military context therefore the denial of surprise to a potential aggressor is paramount. Equally the acquisition of intelligence is a vital factor in any operational venture. From the very earliest days of aviation the foresighted became aware of the use of aerial platforms for reconnaissance tasks. This has been true throughout the history of warfare. The Second World War saw a quantum leap in reconnaissance from the third dimension. In the Arab Israel wars of 1967 and 1973 the use of aerial reconnaissance enabled Israel dramatically to demonstrate the use of force multiplication through intelligence gained. Air reconnaissance has always been important to the success in war. It is the UAV whose time has come in ensuring that aerial reconnaissance continues to give intelligence in a high intensity air defence scenario. They have proved their worth i n reconnaissance and surveillance. 7. In an age of shrinking defence budgets, expensive manned aircraft and high cost of aircrew training most of the modern armed forces around the world are realising the need to employ RPVs for missions in the dense hostile Air Defence (AD) environment. Missions which were considered extremely dangerous and yet important can now be undertaken by RPVs with relative impunity. Owing to their small radar, IR signature and the ability to spoof the enemy, RPVs can give vital real time data about the enemy to commanders on the ground. RPVs if employed intelligently can make a significant contribution by keeping manned aircraft out of the hostile AD threats while providing real time information and at the same time denying the same by effective electronic warfare to the decision makers in a conflict between adversaries. Statement of the Problem 8. To study and evaluate the efficacy of employing UAVs in ISR role in sub-conventional warfare in the Indian context with special reference to counter terrorist operation across our vast borders. Justification of the Study 9. The UAV has shown, in counter-insurgency and in anti-terrorist operations as much as in war, the critical importance of an eye in the sky. UAV can be effectively employed in gathering the intelligence in terrorist training camps, their infiltration routes etc, to build an effective databank for use in the future. The Israel Army has deployed a new miniature unmanned aerial vehicle in counter-insurgency operations over the West Bank. The Israeli army has launched operations of the Skylark tactical UAV for counter-insurgency missions in the northern West Bank. Skylark began flying missions in late 2005 in what marked the first operational deployment of the new UAV. The MQ-1 Predator, armed with the AGM-114 Hellfire missile continues to be one of the US militarys most requested systems, assisting in the execution of the global war on terror by finding, fixing, tracking, targeting, engaging, and assessing suspected terrorist locations. 10. Historically unmanned aircrafts have been employed successfully in number of conventional operations. Their relatively low cost and the modest political embarrassment likely to be caused by their loss, seems to make them irreplaceable especially in a LICO environment where the enemy is difficult to identify and the political compulsions are high. UAVs can facilitate employment of aircraft, long-range guns and missiles by accurate target acquisition.. UAVs hold out a promise of providing a range of ISR and other support missions. Some of these are battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance, fire control and direction, communication and radar suppression. This study has been prompted in being able to identify and analyse the technical and tactical requirements of a UAV for aerial reconnaissance and to suggest the principle of employment for the task in sub conventional war.. 11. The day of the UAV as a natural ingredient of military thinking is much nearer than it was a decade ago, but there is still a need for clearer and more widespread understanding of what the UAV can be used to do as a tool for reconnaissance in a sub-conventional warfare which is more likely to be faced by our country in the future. Hypothesis 12. UAVs have been proposed for several mission areas including ISR, communications, and weapons delivery. The UAVs were used extensively in recent war. Direction is needed to ensure these maturing UAVs are used in the most effective way. The on-going revolution in sensor technology that will improve the UAVs ability to perform ISR missions now conducted by high-value, manned assets. 13. Todays ISR missions are sophisticated operations. Covert or overt, they are executed using traditional techniques and modern technology – with expensive equipment and infrastructures often requiring highly skilled operators. The requirement for information is likely to keep increasing as warfare becomes more oriented towards reconnaissance-strike. In future scenarios, no one system is going to be able t o meet all data collection requirements. Manned aircraft will not be available for all the intelligence needs of the warfighter. Satellite systems also have limitations that will prevent them from being the sole suppliers of information. The capabilities of UAVs make them ideally suited to fill the increasing void between intelligence requirements and existing data collection capability. Scope 14. The scope of this dissertation is to go into the evolution of UAVs, development and employment of UAV in recent wars. It will concentrate on the ISR aspects while identifying the characteristics/requirements of a UAV in a sub-conventional war. As UAVs being one of the high leverage systems of the future, the Air Force has to make a concerted effort to procure UAVs and sensor technologies with a particular emphasis on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications. This paper addresses considerations for improving the future application of UAVs for the ISR mission. Furthermore, the Air Force should seize the opportunity to leverage the rapid advances in sensor and information technology to increase the capability of UAVs to perform ISR while also performing other vital air power missions. 15. The scope of this dissertation is to critically analyse the efficacy of employment of UAVs in Armed role in sub-conventional environment which is more likely to be faced by India in future. It aims to study the application of UAV in LICO, study the advantages of employing UAVs in LICO in ISR role and suggest the philosophy for employment of UAVs in LICO in the ISR role. Methods of Data Collection 16. The information in this dissertation has been collected from the reference material available in the DSSC Library and from the Internet. The bibliography of the sources is appended at the end of the text. Organisation of the Dissertation 17. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- (a) Chapter I. Introduction. (b) Chapter II . Evolution of UAVs. (c) Chapter III . Classification of UAVs. (d) Chapter IV . Characteristics of UAVs. (e) Chapter V . Importance of UAVs and ISR Sensors. (f) Chapter VI . Principles of employment of the UAV for aerial reconnaissance. (g) Chapter VII . Low intensity conflict operations. (h) Chapter VIII. Employment philosophy for UAVs in sub conventional warfare. (j) Chapter IX . Conclusion CHAPTER II EVOLUTION OF UAVs UAV technology is a vast field with wide and enough scope for exploration to produce a new and challenging tool of warfare VK Madhok Battlefields of The Early 21st Century. History of Evolution of UAVs/RPVs 1. Unmanned aircraft have a history as long as that of aviation itself. Even before the First World War a French artillery officer, Rene Lorin had proposed the use of flying bombs to attack distant targets. This aircraft he suggested could be stabilized in flight by a combination of gyroscopes and barometer, guided along the track by radio signal from an accompanying piloted aircraft propelled by a pulse jet or ram jet engine to hit the target. 2. The drones/RPV idea actually goes back to the technology of the First World War. The grandparents of todays unmanned vehicles were the Kettering bug and Sperry Aerial Torpedo used in 1917 and 1918. They were winged carts on wheels with engines that somehow managed to lift them into the air after a fast start on a pair of rails. Though they flew, they left much to be desired in terms of sophistication and were not useful as an accurate, winged bomb. More successful, however was the effort that lasted from 1928 to 1932 in which the Curtis Robin aircraft was turned into a working drone. Then, in the late 1930s there was a rush of military interest in remotely controlled vehicles, which led to a raft of special weapons including a second Bug, essentially a surface to surface buzz bomb, and the Bat, a radio controlled glide Bomb. Out of this pack came the first truly usable weapon: the crude but legal GB 1, which was a 2000 bomb with plywood wings and rudders and a radio control packag e. These were dropped from B-17s and visually guided by bombardiers to their target. In 1943, 108 GB-1s were dropped on cologne causing heavy damage. Later in the war came the GB-4 Robin, the first television guided weapon and Q-2 developed by Ryan Aeronautical Company (now Teledyne–Ryan) in 1946 from which have developed most of todays modern RPVs/UAVs. 3. In the United States, the UAV has normally been associated with the reconnaissance mission and designed to be a recoverable asset for multiple flight operations. The remotely piloted vehicles (RPV) of the early 1960s were developed in response to the perceived vulnerability of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, which had been downed over the Soviet Union in 1960 and again over Cuba in 1962.Red Wagon was the code name for a 1960 project by Ryan Aeronautical Company to demonstrate how its drones could be used for unmanned, remotely guided photographic reconnaissance missions. As early as 1965, modified Ryan Firebee drones were used to overfly China with some losses experienced. Vietnam War 4. The best known UAV operations were those conducted by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. Ryan BQM-34 (Ryan designation: Type 147) Lightning Bug drones were deployed to the theater in 1964.[iii] . In addition to the reconnaissance role, Teledyne Ryan also experimented with lethal versions of the BQM-34 drone. In 1971 and 1972, drones were armed with Maverick missiles or electro-optically guided bombs (Stubby Hobo) in an attempt to develop an unmanned defense suppression aircraft to be flown in conjunction with manned strike aircraft. 5. The Vietnam War was notable in two regards with respect to unmanned aircraft. It was the first war in which reconnaissance UAV were employed and it was notable for the ubiquity of the drones which was use throughout the war. An average of one mission was flown each day during this lengthy war. Employment in Recent Conflicts 6. Yom Kippur – 73 . It was in 1973, that the Israelis effectively used the RPV for reconnaissance and surveillance. The main unmanned aircraft were Mastiff, Scout and the Pioneer. These could also be used for Electronic Warfare. The valuable information gained from these sorties, besides the fire drawn from Arab SAMs which increased the vulnerability of the Air Defence systems found the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle enjoying a pivotal role in the Israeli success. 7. Bekka Valley – 1982. The Israelis once again explored the use of unmanned aircraft during air operations. Besides surveillance and intelligence gathering drones over the Syrian air space were able to gauge reactions of the air defence systems and cater for suitable counter measure. During the Israeli attack, it is reported that RPVs were used to monitor runway activity, activate Syrian fire control radars so that behind the first wave of decoy aircraft, Israeli aircraft could launch their anti, radiation missiles for neutralization of the radars. A large degree of success can be attributed to the employment of this platform wherein the Syrian had losses of 19 SAM batteries and 86 combat aircraft for the corresponding loss of only a solitary Israeli aircraft. The UAVs used were Teledyne, Scout, Mastiff, Samson and Delilah. It was therefore seen that in a dense AD environment, the use of unmanned aircraft would provide rich dividends. 8. The types of RPVs used were the Teledyne BQM-34, Scout, Mastiff, Samson and Delilah. During the operation certain important lessons were learnt, namely:- (a) Training under operational condition is essential for success of operations. (b) Instead of an all-purpose RPV, a family of RPVs with specific task related capability would be more suitable. (c) Simulation of fighter aircraft with use of corner reflector on RPV could lend an element of surprise. (d) The RPVs proved to be a major force multiplier. (e) The low radar, IR, acoustic and optical signature reduced its vulnerability to ground fire and electronic counter measures. (f) The Bekaa Valley operation proved that RPVs are a cost effective means of conducting reconnaissance, electronic warfare and intelligence gathering. (g) It is an ideal platform for employment in a dense AD environment of a modern TBA. (h) The operations re-emphasized the worlds faith in the utility of RPVs in a modern battle. Gulf War 1991 9. UAVs were used extensively by the US in the Gulf War. The Israeli built Pioneer UAV flew 530 missions into Iraqi territory. The other types of UAVs which were used by the US were the BAI-Exdrone and the French Alpilles-MART. Besides the conventional uses of reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and Arty fire control, UAVs were used innovatively for pre-ingress route reconnaissance of Apache AH-64 helicopters, individual chemical agent detection (ICAD) and command, control, communication and intelligence functions The US Navy used UAVs for detection of enemy vessels, detection of Silkworm anti-shipping missile sites, mine detection and naval gunfire direction. The Multi National Forces employed UAVs like the Pioneer, Pointer, Midge, Mart and the Exdrone for reconnaissance, surveillance and battle damage assessment. The US Marine Corps extensive use of UAVs offset the Armys shortfall in aircraft-based reconnaissance. (a) Pioneer . Six Pioneer units each equipped with five UAVs were deployed in the theatre, three with the US Marines, one with US army and one each on USS Missouri and USS Wisconsin. It was used round-the- clock, using TV or (forward looking infra-red) FLIR sensors, for (reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition (RISTA). The US Navy used it to search for Silkworm sites, air defence arty guns; and command and control bunkers. The US Marines used them for real-time targeting with attack aircraft. Pioneers flew 307 sorties in the campaign logging 1011 hours. Of these, seven were lost two to AD arty and five to non-combat reasons, and 26 were damaged of which 13 were repaired in theater and re-used. Pioneer, already a veteran of activity in the Gulf, reiterated its value, both from the decks of the battleships of USS Missouri and Wisconsin and with the ground forces. One Pioneer achieved a bizarre first for UAVs when a group of Iraqi soldiers, seeing their bunker under observat ion from the circling craft, emerged waving white flags. (b) Pointer . Pointer is a low cost, hand launched and battery operated RPV that is equipped with a TV camera. Weighing only 8 pounds, its use was limited due to strong winds. Nonetheless, pointer was used during the early morning and late afternoons when winds were light. It was often used for rear area security, checking for foot prints in the sand that had not been there the night before. It was also sometimes used to scout roads before vehicles moved down them. (c) F-47A Exdrones . These were deployed during the Gulf War in the surveillance role, carrying miniature colour TV cameras and microwave video transmitters. Amongst other achievements, it detected that Iraqi forces had abandoned their defences in Kuwait, allowing the US Marines to advance more than a day earlier than what had been planned. This was also used in electronic warfare roles such as jamming and communication interception. 10. Some of the important lessons learnt from Gulf War are:- (a) Diverse family of RPVs are required rather than one all-purpose model like Pioneer with US. (b) Smaller, target-spotting tactical RPVs would be easier to operate near the front lines. (c) Larger, long-endurance unmanned vehicles could take off from behind the battle field and yet patrol large strategic areas. (d) Small numbers of low observable RPVs could carry out recce missions with high chance of survival. 11. Bosnian Conflict . The NATO forces in Bosnia used the Tier-2 Predator to monitor the enforcement of cease-fire. Specific tasks included detection of movement of ammunition at night and detection of tampering of mass graves by Bosnian Serbs at night. CHAPTER II I CLASSIFICTION OF UAV Knowledge of an enemys dispositions and movements has always been a key to success in war John WR Taylor, David Mondey Spies in the Sky. 1. Classification of UAVs may be based on important attributes such as range, endurance, flight altitude and launch or recovery methods. Broadly UAVs can be classified into tactical and strategic categories. A further sub division may also include offensive UAVs and Decoys. 2. Relevance. It is important that we understand the broad classification of the UAV tree as it would thereafter be easy to associate roles that can be assigned to the UAV in context of tasks which manned aircraft are required to perform. For any comparison with the manned aircraft, a generic understanding enables us to be able to oversee the debate between manned aircraft vis a vis manned aircraft from an overall objective and broader perspective. 3. Tactical UAV: (a) Micro UAV . Mainly useful for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA), sampling NBC and Electronic Warfare (EW), the range is limited to 10 kms with endurance of less than an hour and max altitude of 250 metres. (b) Mini UAV . Mostly for civil use and similar to micro UAV except that the endurance is greater upto two hours. (c) Close Range UAV . With a range of 10 to 30 Kms, and endurance of 2-4 hrs, ceiling of 3000 meters, this group is used for RSTA, arty correction and mine detection. (d) Short Range UAV . Range of 30-70 Km and an endurance of 3 to 6 hrs, This could also be employed for NBC sampling and post strike damage assessment. (e) Medium Range UAV . The range is enhanced up to 70-200 kms with endurance of 6-10 hr and the altitude band from 3000-5000 metres. This is used for communication relays also. (f) Low Altitude Deep Penetration UAV . The main feature is its ability to escape enemy radar cover. It has an endurance of up to an hour with a range of beyond 250 Km and ceiling limits of 9000 m. This is mainly armed to provide commanders the capability to look deep into enemy territory. (g) Long Range UAV. With a range of up to 1000 kms and endurance of 6-13 hrs, the UAV is mainly employed on RSTA, Post strike damage assessment and communications relays. (h) Endurance UAVs. As the name suggests, it has the ability to operate upto 24 hrs and ranges greater than 500 kms. Utilized for RSTA, post strike damage assessment, relay, Electronic Warfare and NBC sampling. 4. Strategic UAV (a) Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE). The striking feature is that it can be used for weapons delivery. Operating in a range of 500-700 Kms from 234-48 hrs, it can also be used in tactical roles upto a ceiling from 5000 to 8000 metres. (b) High Altitude Long Endurance . Operating in the 15000 – 20000 metres band, it can be utilized as a missile launch vehicle. It operates for ranges upto 6000 kms. 5. Offensive UAV. This category caters for weapons which are anti-tank/vehicle, anti-radar or antiship. 6. Decoys . Certain aerial and naval decoys with endurance ranging from a few minutes to several hours, these may be launched via canisters, rockets or air launched. 22. Sensor Systems . The sensor systems are required for the various modes of reconnaissance which can be carried out by the UAV. These will be discussed in detail further in this paper. The various modes of reconnaissance are:- (a) Photographic Reconnaissance . The main sensor for photographic reconnaissance is the camera. The various types of camera systems for photographic reconnaissance are:- (i) Vertical Photograph Cameras. (ii) Oblique Photograph Cameras. (iii) Pin point Photograph Cameras. (iv) Split Vertical Photograph Cameras. (v) Trimetrogon. (vi) Multi-Camera Fan. (vii) Panoramic. (viii) Long Range Oblique Photography and Long Range Aerial Photography. (ix) Sonne Strip Photography. (x) IR Camera. (b) Infra- red Reconnaissance . The infra-red spectrum is used in reconnaissance in two distinct forms. The reflective portion of the infra-red is made use of in infra-red photography. The emissive portion of the infra-red is used in reconnaissance with the aid of appropriate sensors by a process called thermal imaging. This mode of reconnaissance uses emissive infra-red radiations and employs thermal detectors that transform infra-red radiation into detectable electrical signals. The output electrical voltage is recorded either on a magnetic tape for digital analysis by computer or on a film. The main types of infra-red reconnaissance systems which can be used by the UAV are:- (i) Infra-red Line Scan. (ii) Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR). (c ) Reconnaissance by Electronic Means . Reconnaissance by electronic means involves the use of radar and TV i.e. they need microwave sensors and light sensors. The two main types of reconnaissance by electronic means are thus radar reconnaissance and TV reconnaissance. 7. There is today a very clear direction of evolving UAV for specific purposes. Much like manned aircraft which have specified roles such as Air Defence, Air Interdiction and so on. Specialization is the buzz word in the UAV family wherein by changing payloads different functions can be performed. The broad classification above is likely to undergo changes in the future where specific functional UAVs would be listed. CHAPTER I V CHARACTERISTICS OF UAV Knowledge of an enemys dispositions and movements has always been a key to success in war John WR Taylor, David Mondey Spies in the Sky. UAV And Manned Aircraft A Comparison 1. Cost (a) Cost of Aircraft . The high cost of current generation fighter aircraft is a cause for concern to air force planners the world over. What is worse is their unit cost is continuing to escalate inexorably. A few examples will corroborate the fact. At 1985 prices, USAF aircraft like the P-51 Mustang of 1944 would have cost $ 0.5 million; the F- 100 Super Sabre of 1954 would be a little over $ 2 million; the F-4 Phantom of 1962 would be $ 6 million; while the F-15 Eagle of 1974 would cost $ 25 million. Similarly in the UK, the Harrier GR. 1 of 1970 costs four times as much as the Hunter fighter of the fifties and the Hawk training aircraft costs one and a half times as much as its predecessor the Gnat. In our own air force, the Mirage 2000 cost Rs 24 crores a piece when it was inducted in the Indian Airforce in 1985, while today it is in excess of 120 crores. (b) Cost of In-service Support . It is not just the unit capital cost of aircraft that is rising this way, so is the cost of in-service support. As a rough rule of thumb, the cost of in-service support for an aircraft is about twice the production cost. Statistics from Tactical Air Command of the USAF show that the cost of replenishment spare parts during the in-service life an F-4G aircraft is $ 3.5 million and for an F-15A, it is $ 10.7 million, while the depot maintenance costs for the same aircraft are $ 7.7 million and $ 5.8 million respectively. The total in-service operational and support costs for one aircraft including all items such as fuel, pay for unit personnel, pay for indirect support personnel, support equipment and so on, work out to $ 66.4 million and $ 64.2 million respectively for the two types. (c ) Personnel Costs . The cost of personnel to operate, service and support the aircraft are also high. Combat fighters in the USAF inventory need an average of 17 maintenance specialists for each machine, and a detachment of 24 F-15s for a 30 day period calls for 621 maintenance specialist in 22 different trades, together with 370 tons of equipment. The aircrew are also an expensive asset and their training costs are rising sharply. For example, it costs the RAF a little over $ 5 million at 1987 prices to train a pilot of a fast jet aircraft like the Harrier or a Tornado. (d) Cost of the Training Organization . The ratio of training aircraft to combat aircraft has always been high in any modern air force. For example in the RAF in 1987, there were 758 combat aircraft as compared to 833 in training units (including operational conversion units). It implies that higher the number of combat aircraft in any air force, the number of training aircraft would increase in a higher if not similar proportion. (e) Cost of UAVs versus Aircraft . (i) Mini UAVs . UAVs require neither crew nor crew supporting systems. Therefore, they are bound to be simple, smaller and thus a great deal cheaper than their manned counterparts. For example the unit cost of a Pointer RPV is $10,000. On the other hand the cost of Mig 21, which is used for TAC-R in the Indian Air Force, is $ 1 million. Now if we include the costs of in-service support, personnel costs and the cost of training Organization, the cost balance tips heavily in favor of UAVs. This also means that for same investment, we can have more UAVs and the sheer weight of numbers should be able to make up for whatever deficiencies which result from the absence of a crew. (ii) HALE . Though there are UAVs like the Condor HALE whose unit cost is $ 20 million (at 1993 prices), it would be more appropriate to compare them with satellites; and aircraft like the SR-71, U-2 and Mig 25, due to their role and capability. Then their cost-effectiveness can scarcely be in doubt. (iii) Mission C osts . A comparison of the mission costs of a UAV and an equivalent aircraft for the same role will further corroborate the economy of UAVs. 2. Mobility . (a) Tactical . High mobility and reach are two characteristics of air power which can be exploited in a variety of ways, such as to concentrate for effect or to disperse for survival. It is in these fields that UAVs have a major disadvantage vis-Ã  -vis manned aircraft, since they cannot easily transfer their effort between bases. They need to be transported from one operating site to another whereas a