The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) suggests the service consider using open architectures (OA) to help keep costs down if it eventually decides to modify unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for use in contested environments.

USAF SAB Chair Werner Dahm on Monday briefed reporters in Arlington, Va., with a “high-level summary” of each of three studies tasked by the Air Force secretary and chief of staff for 2015: cyber vulnerabilities of embedded systems in air and space systems; enhanced utility of UAV in contested and denied environments and the utility of quantum systems for the Air Force.

An MQ-9 Reaper. Photo: Air Force
An MQ-9 Reaper. Photo: Air Force

The SAB found that both the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk UAVs could be modified in specific ways to provide utility in environments with various levels of contestation. The board said the Air Force could perform a first round of modifications that improve situational awareness for the platforms, then a second round of mods that would provide enhanced utility. The Reaper and Global Hawk have been traditionally used in permissive environments.

Dahm said radar warning receivers currently not in use on the Reaper and Global Hawk and modified ground systems would provide enhanced situational awareness. Improvements in communications; precision navigation and timing (PNT) systems and self-protection would also be needed, the board found. Dahm said performing these upgrades with an eye toward open architectures will help keep modification costs down by encouraging competition for upgrades, should the Air Force decide to pursue them.

The SAB found while quantum computing has enormous potential utility for the Air Force, it currently is more hype than reality. Dahm said there are three areas where quantum systems could have utility for the service: quantum sensing, quantum communications and quantum computing. He said there were “dozens” of other areas where future Air Force utility could be envisioned, including quantum networks, quantum imaging and quantum gravimetry.

The SAB concluded that the threat involving cyber vulnerabilities of embedded systems on air and space systems is real and that it can affect mission critical systems. The Air Force wants to reduce the vulnerability of embedded systems, which Dahm described as simple computers found in products. Consumer examples include always-connected new refrigerators or home thermostats.

Dahm said one recommendation is to leverage some of what the commercial world has learned about embedded system vulnerabilities, though it can’t leverage all commercial lessons learned because embedded Air Force systems are different from commercial-world embedded systems.

“There’s no silver bullet solution,” Dahm said, regarding cyber vulnerabilities of embedded systems. “But it also says there’s a whole lot more you can do, and should do, than simply improve cyber hygiene.”

Dahm said he’s meeting with Air Force Secretary Deborah James on Friday to discuss 2016’s study topics as a call for nominations was released in January. He said James will make her choices as early as Friday and that he expects them to have a “technical dimension.”

Dahm said reports for the 2015 study results will be completed by the end of summer before they go into a security review for potential release. He said he expected the quantum study would be unclassified, with limited release, while the UAV and embedded systems studies would be classified.

The MQ-9 Reaper is developed by General Atomics while the RQ-4 Global Hawk is developed by Northrop Grumman [NOC].

The 2015 Defense Daily Open Architecture Summit will be held Nov. 4 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington. More information about the panel topics and speaker list can be found at: www.openarchitecturesummit.com.