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they were indeed, and that's not the only connection between the NS and UCC.
The NS seem quite proactive in terms of engaging with UCC (and I'm sure other colleges).
Not without getting over the biggest stumbling block of them all, the IAA!!!
Unless of course you want to operate below 400ft and within 500m or line of sight which ever is less!!
There is of course segregated airspace but for so many reasons its impractical.
Goldie is right about the ROV Vs UAV however I dare say a USV system would be of more practical use to the Navy then either ROV or UAV. That of course isnt saying a USV is of practical use, just more useful then the other 2.
Edit: "ROV vs UAV" You sure you're on the same page here? There is no ROV Vs UAV. Dev just misread the posts and Goldie was pointing that out!
I understand that and I was pointing that Goldie is correct, an ROV works in water Vs a UAV that likes to stay out of it.
ROV's are vital for locating wrecks, inspecting underwater structures etc.
ROVs are only useful on known targets after they have been located by other means such as sonar. Apart from the very odd occasion that the NS are called for bodysearches / recovery is there much use for one? I would also be very surprised, given their low cost (Dependent on system of course), if the NS dont have at least a limited capability in this area already.
UAV's greatly enhance the intel umbrella of a ship and allow for greater productivity in the deployment of very limited resources(8 ships only).
IF you can get them in the air. Under current regulations UAVs MUST operate in restricted airspace. While you could do this off the west coast the NOTAMs this would generate will advise every smuggler in the country what area you are working in. If you dont want NOTAMs you have to operate under current radio control legislation.
Also due to Line of Sight restrictions the control limit will be about 15-20nm (Whats the ships radar horizon currently) before the UAV has to climb to maintain radio signal. Once it does this it will lose the viability of what it can and cannot see with its payload. That is of course unless you go for high end equipment in which case you arent talking about a ship based operation anymore and are moving into the cost bracket of a manned aircraft which, in civil airspace, is much more flexible.
Besides the intel umbrella is already expanded by the CASA fleet that do 2 patrols every day, one every 12 hours or so and pass all of the intelligence to the NS. Oh no wait, now I am in the land of hovertanks. Unfortunately, for different reasons, the CASA has the same flaw as the UAVs, ie IF you can get them in the air.
USV's are about as practical as the hovertanks. At least for the medium term.
Already answered:
That of course isnt saying a USV is of practical use, just more useful then the other 2.
However I should note that the context is of course the NS operating in civil airspace.
What are we calling USVs again? I'm confuzzled. The NS already operates Remotely Operated Submersibles. Quite a nice bit of kit, comparable to anything currently being used in the offshore industry.
As for UAVs... it doesn't take much to put an "eye in the sky". But as the skies 200-500 miles off the west coast are quite free of other traffic, so would it not be an ideal place to test the technology, with the NS providing an ideal platform to test from?
Would be a nice boast for an irish company to say they tested their NAVAL UAVs in harsh atlantic conditions.
Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.
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I suppose the question really is this; Is the operation of UAVs by the NS for the betterment of the NS operation or for the testing and promotion of a private companies UAV so they can sell it elsewhere.
The problem is that even at 200-500nm the average system can only operate out to about 15nm and probably only carry a basic sensor. It will also be seriously limited by both sea conditions for launch and recovery and by environmental conditions for in flight operation and sensor performance. It would be of very limited use to the NS especially considering the likely cost and loss rate. It should be noted that in the micro-mini class of UAV, while every effort is made to recover them, they are classed as expendable.
With regards to testing a system in the North Atlantic it would indeed be a great sales pitch but reckless in the extreme without serious land based testing first. TBH I think Ireland has a great area off the west coast of Ireland for UAV operations / testing and training. We also have a highly skilled workforce who could knock these yokes up in the morning but until we ditch this childish quasi neutrality, therefore no military sales c*** its never really going to happen. Just my opinion.
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