Can the Air Force protect its airfields using Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles?

The Silver Fox UAV that was tested at CFB Suffield last fall.

CREDIT: Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.

CFB SUFFIELD – The Air Force has stepped up its involvement in what is perhaps the most visible sign of capability transformation across the Canadian Forces – uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV).

A new 60-person Tactical UAV Flight formed of personnel from 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, from Edmonton and 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada (5 RALC) from CFB Valcartier, conducted trials of Tactical UAVs last October in Wainwright, in preparation for their operational employment.

The Air Force has also created a new section within the Directorate of Air Requirements to identify future UAV requirements of the Canadian Forces.
Last fall, the Air Force has begun testing the Silver Fox Mini UAV to see how it will perform in an operational environment. Can it transmit reliable, secure information? Can it detect potential threats? Can it withstand an enemy attack? Are military airfields in a deployed theatre of operation more secure with UAVs flying overhead?

These and other questions were put to the test during the airfield security experiment, which was held in the vast expanse of southern Alberta, more specifically, the Defence Research and Development Canada experimental proving ground at CFB Suffield.

The Air Force conducted the experiment, using personnel from its new CF Aerospace Warfare Centre who work on experimentation in Ottawa. The experiment was a success on many fronts, not the least of which was increasing the number of flying hours on the Silver Fox by 84, a 350 per cent increase in operational flying time.

The task of the Silver Fox was to locate, identify and report potential threats to the airfield operation. The scenario included small teams of insurgents in vehicles or dismounted, armed with shoulder launched missiles, mortars, and assault rifles trying to attack the airfield. To complicate matters further, neutral civilian work parties were included in the operational area.

Major Bjorn Helby, the experiment director said “the success of this experiment shows that the CF Aerospace Warfare Centre concept development and experimentation process worked remarkably well the first time we executed it. Partnering with the experts wherever they are, forming a multidisciplinary team, and tackling a problem using a process of experimentation first in simulation and then in live, worked really well.”

The experiment was truly a joint effort between the Army, Navy, Air Force, Regular and Reserve Force, and DRDC – everyone brought their own unique area of expertise to the table, be it on UAV systems, modeling, experimental design and analysis, to all the field logistics support, combat arms expertise, personnel to play the role of insurgents, and two personnel to train and function as Silver Fox Sensor Operators.

Special mention should go to the DRDC Suffield personnel who repeatedly worked late into the evening and again very early in the morning to ensure that the Silver Fox was ready for launch. The hard work paid off in successful flights and the steady accumulation of experimental data (70 DVDs in all), which maintained the high morale of the team