UVSC 2750 X1
Unmanned aircraft system elements

Throughout history there have been a wide variety of unmanned aerial operations. These range from kites used in Asia to measure distances to commands using kites to send signals in battle. Others used aerial balloons to drop bombs on the enemy during the American Civil War. In modern times the most familiar to us are the aerial drones being used around the world. These are both fixed wing as well as rotary aircraft that allow for a variety roles depending the on situation at hand. The purpose of Ground Control Stations is for the operation of the unmanned aircraft. This is an over simplification of a complex arrangement of communications and equipment that the operator uses to control the aircraft with out being in the aircraft. Typically this is divided into two parts: on for the operator and the second for the payload operator. Further this ground control stations can be located in or around the battlefield or halfway around the world depending on the needs of the operation. Again the ground control station is the location on the ground that the operator is flying the vehicle from and that all depends on the type of mission that is being carried out.
Explain the purpose of Ground Control Stations The data links between line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight come down to the operator being able to control the unmanned vehicle. In the line-of-sight data link there must be a clear line, no mountains to the curvature of the earth to come in-between the operator and the vehicle. In beyond the line-of-sight data links, the operator has the equipment that is specialized in not needing to have a clear path from the ground control to the vehicle. This allows many operations to take place out of harms way for the operator while maintain the operation in what might be a hostile environment. The launching of an unmanned vehicle depends on the type of vehicle that is being operated. This could be from hand launching a small vehicle on the battle field to using a runway or launcher for larger and heaver aircraft. The purpose is to get the vehicle airborne, as the same aerodynamic principles of airflow and aerodynamics apply to unmanned aircraft in the same ways that apply to manned aircraft. Recovery of the aircraft in the manner as above depends on the aircraft being operated. Some can land on a runway in the same method as manned aircraft. Others can “stall” where the operator purposefully stalls the aircraft in flight to allow a parachute to deploy, yet others employ a ground net or wire like on an aircraft carrier. This all depends on the type of mission and the aircraft being operated. Aircraft payloads are what the aircraft carries for that particular mission. Many unmanned vehicles have the ability to interchange what payloads they carry depending on the mission at hand. These payloads can range from a variety of weapons from missiles to bombs, while other payloads are non-lethal such as cameras and other types of observation equipment. With the wide variety of sizes and weights of the varying payloads, the right equipment, such as ground control to the vehicle in use, depends on the mission at hand.