UASUV 2017 Med Unmanned Vehicles Technology | Page 18

Address
Vice Admiral (HN) ret. Vasilios MARTZOUKOS,
President,
Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies - (HEL.I.S.S.)
" UNMANNED VEHICLES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS "
What if someone was told just a few years ago that an aircraft or helicopter pilot, will one day control a
small fleet of nearby drones from the cockpit while in flight, for missions varying from ISR to weapons
delivery in dangerous areas. That almost independent, unmanned systems will gather, organize and
integrate a vast array of different information and sensor data, before providing it to human
commanders.
How this man would react to a story about, having a “ghost fleet” with multiple surface, air and
undersea drones operating for a long time, in a synchronized fashion and conduct a wide-range of
combat missions without placing humans at risk. The over-the-horizon UUVs and USVs would deploy
their own smaller drone counterparts to transport sensors or weapons the last dozens of miles to a
target. When it comes to offensive surface operations, unmanned boats could form a swarm of small
attack craft designed to overwhelm and destroy enemy ships with gunfire, explosives or even small
missiles.
The physical reaction to these information, would be that is all a scientific fiction story. The reality is
that for the formentioned capabilities, other have already been implemented and other are part of the
next few years planning.
CAPABILITIES OF UV’S (UAV, USV, UUV, UGV)
Today UV’s are directly connected with some national power indicators like economy and economic
growth, technology, research and development and at the same time they are already deeply involved
in civil and military activities. For example some of the civil missions undertaken by UV, are the
following:
1. Research
2. Civil law enforcement
3. Journalism
4. Report on Traffic patterns
5. Patrol of borders, customs, pipelines and energy installations
6. Search and rescue missions
7. Survey of wildlife or oil spills
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