UNMANNED TACTICAL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY FORUM POC: Michael S. Francis, Fax No. (703) 696-8401. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Contracts Management Office (CMO), 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714. The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) is currently investigating the technological feasibility and applicability of Unmanned Tactical Aircraft (UTA) systems to 1) understand their mission potential, 2) develop a credible vision for how UTAs would be integrated into the force structure, and 3) identify near-term demonstration(s) that both enhance credibility and advance enabling technologies for system applications. ARPA will host an industry-wide forum on Unmanned Tactical Aircraft to announce the current findings from this on-going study. Feedback from participants will be encouraged either through an audience-wide forum or through private sessions. All industrial and private research and development organizations are invited to attend this forum, but will be limited to two participants per organization. This one-day UTA forum will be held in the Conference Center at 1710 Goodridge Drive, McLean, VA at 9:00 A.M. on August 24, 1995. Background: UTAs are envisioned as general purpose tactical air vehicles which combine the best advantages of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and manned aircraft, retaining the inherent decision-making and judgment of an operator ``in the loop''. Relocating the operator to a control station outside the vehicle not only eliminates human physiological constraints and risk factors imposed on manned aircraft, but allows the operator to reside in the optimal information environment (control station). UTA systems offer the potential for a greatly expanded set of mission options including 1) missions too hazardous for manned assets (e.g. high threat environments, high ``g'' loads, long duration missions), 2) targets inappropriate for cruise missiles (low value targets or targets requiring last minute tactical decisions), 3) targets that are imprecisely defined, and 4) targets of opportunity. In addition, UTA systems have the potential for more affordable air power through the elimination of manned rated requirements and life support systems. Fully implemented, UTA systems could ultimately provide a tactical deterrence through fundamentally superior air vehicles, fearless operation, larger force due to decreased unit cost, and a new, more flexible class of weapon systems. It has been determined that the majority of enabling air vehicle and information fusion technologies for UTA system applications, including mission planning, communications, and computing technologies, are available as Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) or Government Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) equipment. The primary focus of technology development within a potential ARPA program relates to the human operator-system control interface which integrates vehicle command and control (C2) with on- and off-board sensor data, and other processed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) information. Due to the need to provide adequate accommodations for this forum, please respond by August 18, 1995, ATTN: ARPA/ASTO, UTA FORUM/Colonel Michael S. Francis, by fax to (703)696-8401 with names of attendees. Included with this response should be your preference to brief ARPA on future UTA systems.

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