U.S. military UAS groups

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) employs Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) across all echelons to support tactical, operational, and strategic operations. The types of UAS that are used in these operations are categorized into "Groups" according to their size and capability. Previous to 2010, UAS were categorized into "Tiers" or "Classes" separately by each branch of the military. In order to promote a homogeneous categorization, the "group system" was developed. [1] [2] [3]

DoD UAS Groups

The "Group" system has 5 categories, from 1 to 5, with each category increasing in capability. [1]

UAS Group Maximum Weight
(lbs) (MGTOW)
Nominal Operating
Altitude (ft)
Speed (kts) Representative UAS
Group 1 0 - 20 < 1200 AGL 100 RQ-11 Raven, WASP
Group 2 21 - 55 < 3500 AGL < 250 ScanEagle
Group 3 < 1320 < FL 180 RQ-7B Shadow, RQ-21 Blackjack
Group 4 > 1320 Any airspeed MQ-8B Fire Scout, MQ-1A/B Predator, MQ-1C Gray Eagle
Group 5 > FL 180 MQ-9 Reaper, RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-4C Triton

Tier System (Deprecated)

The previous classification system, termed the "Tier System", was used by military planners to designate the various individual aircraft elements in an overall usage plan for integrated operations.[4] The Tiers do not refer to specific models of aircraft, but rather roles the aircraft would fill. The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Army each have their own tier system, and the systems are themselves not integrated.

US Air Force tiers

US Marine Corps tiers

Role currently filled by the AAI RQ-7 Shadow, although USMC planners do not view this aircraft as meeting future Tier III requirements.[13]

US Army tiers

Future Combat Systems (Cancelled)

Future Combat Systems (FCS) was the United States Army's principal modernization program from 2003 to early 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 Department of Defense. "Unmanned Aircraft System Airspace Integration Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  2. U.S. Army. ""U.S. Army Roadmap for UAS 2010-2035"" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  3. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Joint Unmanned Aircraft Systems Minimum Training Standards" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  4. Office of the United States Secretary of Defense. "UAV Roadmap 2005-2030" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  5. Comparison of USAF Tier II, II+ and III- systems Archived August 19, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. USAF Tier system Archived May 14, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  7. USMC RQ-7 Shadow Homepage
  8. 1 2
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