General Atomics Chief Forsees Advances In UAS

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2010/02/12/04.xml

POWAY, Calif. — Technological advances could enable unmanned aerial
systems (UAS) to deliver radically improved situational awareness
within five years, according to the top executive at unmanned aircraft
developer General Atomics.

"We're probably no more than one-fifth along the way to developing
really remarkable situational awareness," said Neal Blue, chairman and
CEO of the privately owned UAS pioneer. "We're about one-fifth of the
way of what we can actually achieve within the next five years."

Blue said communications links, or "bandwidth down," are the biggest
limitation to providing wide-area situational awareness at very high
resolution. Advances in onboard processing and the integration of data
feeds from multiple platforms also will be crucial. "You have the
integration from cached information, which will provide extremely
accurate, high granularity in terms of target location," Blue told
Aviation Week in an interview at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems'
main assembly complex near San Diego.