Walking back to my dorm at the Naval Academy one day, I saw a company mate of mine playing around with his new quadcopter drone that he bought to record aerial videos. This midshipman had never flown an aircraft before, yet he was able to fly his drone high and see all around his surrounding environment. Seeing the quadcopter in action left me wondering, “Why doesn’t the Navy use quadcopters for navigation and logistics more often?”
Quadcopters are small drones, usually with four rotors forming the shape of a square. These drones are effective because they are so small, they do not considerably impede surrounding air traffic. Quadcopters are compact enough to have on any type of ship and easy enough to fly that a sailor of any qualification can do it. Also, these drones can be programed to operate without a manned controller. They are more mobile than large helicopters or large drones, like the MQ-8 Fire Scout. If using a quadcopter drone for reconnaissance vehicles, the Navy would no longer need a flight deck or large storage units. Commercial-grade quadcopters are much cheaper than larger aircraft, and they do not require any significant amount of fuel. The Navy could buy over 14,000 of the highest quality of quadcopters (usually priced around $1,000) for the same price as one Fire Scout drone ($14.6 million).[1]
Drones offer a 360-degree real-time view of the operational space. This bird’s-eye view can reveal surface and shoal-water depth threats that may not be visible to lookouts from the elevation of the ship’s deck. Imagine having another real-time eye in the sky hovering 50–100 ft above a naval ship. Ships could create a more comprehensive 360-degree image of their environment if they employ a quadcopter as a high-altitude lookout. For example, using these drones in choke points or heavy traffic could help a ship’s crew understand the complete picture.
Another advantage of the quadcopters is their versatility. Drones can be equipped with forward looking infrared optics to improve vision in night or low-visibility operations. Lights could also be illuminated on drone hovering right above its controller to act as another point of visibility for other ships. Drones can be equipped with lasers rangefinders and a source, other than radar systems, to calculate distances. Small drones diversify options, combatting an overreliance on one system and improving a sailor’s ability to safely navigate the ship through dangerous situations.
At the Academy, we are always learning that overreliance on one system can lead to an accident. In a case study of the USS Guardian (MCM-5) running aground on a coral reef, Admiral Cecil D. Haney said, “The leadership and watch teams relied primarily on an inaccurate Digital Nautical Chart (DNC) during planning and execution of the navigation plan.”[2] Drones need only one more watch stander to operate, but they add to the diversification of safety and navigation options available to the captain and officer of the deck. A sailor’s eyeball can be the most effective tool when navigating, and quadcopters can put that sailor’s eye directly above the navigational situation, expanding the crew’s navigational options.
The Marine Corps is starting to test portable quadcopters in experimental logistics units. Combat Logistics Battalion 8 from Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group is the Marine Corps’ first look into the use of drones for logistical purposes.[3] The Marines Corps’ experimental drone program primarily uses the quadcopters for resupplying forward-deployed forces through aerial shipments. Drones can ship food, ammunition, or medical supplies to Marines in combat without logistics units having to make physical contact. In December 2017 General Robert Neller held a town hall for Marines deployed in Bahrain and noted that the experimental quadcopters could bridge the growing logistical gap between smaller unit sizes and greater operational distances in modern warfare. “If we’re a distribute force or can operate at range, it’s one thing to put the force into the battlespace,” Neller said. “Maybe a more difficult thing is, how do you supply it, how do you sustain it? How do you do medical, how do you do evacuation, how do you do maintenance?”[4] Quad drones can be faster, require less manpower, and can operate over greater distances than some conventional logistics operations.
More recently, the Marine Corps has changed its squad level organization to include a Marine specializing in drone operations. “Quads for Squads,” as the Marines call the program, modifies the former 12-man Marine squadron unit by adding a 13th Marine as a drone operator. Shawn Snow reports in his article, “Marine Corps’ ‘Quads for Squads’ has been cleared for flight,” that the program’s purpose is to, “aid Marines in battlefield situational awareness.”[5] The Navy should always look for new ways to gain situational awareness especially when operating in high traffic situations. Drones are proving to be an effective tool for Marine Corps units on the ground, and it is time for the Navy to test its uses out at sea.
The Navy should pay close attention to the Corps’ quadcopter tests and perhaps conduct their own testing to determine if drones can improve naval logistics. During replenishment at sea operations, drones could fly supplies between ships or help to maintain situational awareness. Quadcopters can transport objects between ships during normal fleet operations as well, eliminating the need for ships to make physical contact with each other or to conduct flight operations with larger, more expensive helicopters. Small drones can also efficiently pass mail across a fleet faster.
Quadcopter drones are cheaper, easier to handle, and more maneuverable than most other drone models the Navy currently uses. The use of small drones can increase safety and efficiency at sea, which should be assessed through quantitative experimental testing. Quadcopters have proven effective in reconnaissance and resupply in other branches, and it is time for the Navy to catch up on the use of small-drone technology.
Endnotes
[1] “Defense Acquisitions Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs,” GAO-15-342SP, U.S. Government Accountability Office, March 2015, 117, http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/668986.pdf#page=125.
[2] USNA NN310 Distributed Class Notes.
[3] Hope Hodge Seck, “This Logistics Battalion Is the Marine Corps’ Next Experimental Unit,” Military.com, 4 January 2018.
[4] Seck, “This Logistics Battalion Is the Marine Corps’ Next Experimental Unit.”
[5] Shawn Snow, “Marine Corps’ ‘Quads for Squads’ Has Been Cleared for Flight,” Marine Corps Times 29 June 2018.
