Aerospace Operations in Urban Environments Exploring New Concepts

by Vick, Alan; Stillion, John; Frelinger, David R.; Kvitry, Joel S.; Lambeth, Benjamin S.

• ISBN13: 9780833028518
• ISBN10: 0833028510
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-08
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

The recent spate of urban operations in Panama, Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia has motivated the Department of Defense to put considerable effort into identifying and correcting shortcomings in the United States' ability to successfully conduct urban military operations. Project AIR FORCE undertook a year-long investigation of the role that aerospace forces can play in joint urban military operations. This study sought to help the USAF better understand how the urban physical, social, and political environment constrains aerospace operations, to identify key operational tasks that aerospace forces can help accomplish, and to develop new concepts of operation, including enabling technologies, to enhance the contribution that aerospace forces make to joint urban operations.

Table of Contents

Preface	iii
Figures	ix
Tables	xi
Summary	xiii
Acknowledgments	xxi
Abbreviations and Acronyms	xxv
Introduction	1	(12)
Background	1	(2)
How Likely Are Urban Operations?	3	(3)
The Nature of Urban Military Operations	6	(4)
From Rubble to Routine	7	(1)
Redefining Warfare, Not Service Roles	8	(2)
Purpose	10	(1)
Organization	11	(2)
Using Aerospace Power to Prevent the Urban Fight	13	(26)
Introduction	13	(4)
How Aerospace Power Can Forestall Urban Operations	17	(8)
Anatomy of an Urban Military Operation	18	(1)
Comparative Advantages of Aerospace Power	19	(2)
Preclusion Strategies	21	(4)
Where Preclusionary Strategies May Have Worked	25	(4)
Al Khafji	25	(3)
Kuwait City	28	(1)
Southern Lebanon	28	(1)
Where Aerospace Power Failed to Prevent Urban Combat	29	(5)
Lessons Learned	32	(1)
The Second Chechen Battle	33	(1)
When Circumstances Leave No Choice	34	(3)
As a Tool for Joint Force Commanders	36	(1)
The Limits of Aerospace Power in Urban Operations	37	(1)
Summary	37	(2)
Legal and Political Constraints on Urban Aerospace Operations	39	(32)
Introduction	39	(1)
Legal Constraints on Urban Aerospace Operations	40	(12)
Reciprocal Legal Duties and the Defender's Obligations	46	(1)
The International Legal Challenges of Urban Environments	47	(5)
Political Constraints on Urban Operations	52	(5)
Sensitivity to American Casualties	53	(2)
Sensitivity to Collateral Damage and Civilian Suffering	55	(2)
Restrictive Rules of Engagement and Targeting	57	(5)
The Asymmetry of Constraints	62	(6)
Conclusion	68	(3)
Aerospace Operations and the Urban Physical Environment	71	(48)
Introduction	71	(1)
The Nature of Urban Terrain	72	(11)
Urban Terrain Zones and Their Characteristics	74	(6)
Air Defenses on Urban Terrain	80	(3)
Surveillance and Reconnaissance in the Urban Environment	83	(24)
Sensor Cueing in the Urban Environment and a New Cueing Concept	84	(5)
Target Identification/Tracking in the Urban Environment	89	(4)
EO Sensors Versus Targets on Rooftops and in Streets	93	(5)
EO Sensors Versus Targets Inside Buildings	98	(9)
Aerial Weapon Delivery in the Urban Environment	107	(7)
Aerial Weapon Trajectories and the Geometry of the Urban Terrain	107	(4)
Weapon Effects and Urban Terrain	111	(3)
Airlift in Urban Environments	114	(1)
Conclusions	115	(4)
New Concepts for Accomplishing Key Tasks in Urban Operations	119	(30)
Introduction	119	(1)
Stop Movement of Combatants, Vehicles, and Equipment	120	(3)
Provide Rapid, High-Resolution Imagery for Target ID	123	(4)
Detect and Neutralize Adversary Ambus Positions	127	(4)
Detect and Neutralize Snipers	131	(7)
Monitor High-Priority Targets	138	(5)
Resupply Isolated Friendly Ground Forces	143	(2)
Provide Close Support for Ground Forces	145	(1)
The Role of the Joint Control Center	146	(3)
Enabling Technologies for Urban Aerospace Operations	149	(50)
Introduction	149	(1)
Three-Dimensional Modeling of the Urban Environment	150	(15)
Key Functions and the Scope of Air Force Involvement	150	(2)
Laser Radar Mapping	152	(3)
Stereoscopic Electro-Optical Imaging	155	(1)
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar	156	(5)
Comparison of 3-D Imaging Technology	161	(1)
Platform Trade-Offs	162	(1)
Software Exploitation of 3-D Urban Maps	163	(2)
Communications and Navigation Technology for the Urban Environment	165	(5)
UAV Relays	165	(1)
Through-the-Wall Communications	166	(3)
Pseudolites	169	(1)
Imaging Sensor Technology for Urban Operations	170	(4)
Non-Imaging Sensor Technology for Urban Operations	174	(8)
Seismic and Acoustic Sensors	174	(1)
Through-the-Wall Radar	175	(4)
Remote Listening	179	(1)
Chemical Sniffing	180	(2)
Sensor Fusion in Support of Urban Operations	182	(2)
Air-Launched Sensor Platforms	184	(3)
Limited-Effects Munitions	187	(10)
Kinetic-Energy Weapons	187	(1)
``Laser-Guided Hand Grenades''	188	(1)
Miniature Glide Bombs, Cruise Missiles, and Killer UAVs	188	(1)
Nonlethal Weapons	189	(8)
Conclusion	197	(2)
Conclusions	199	(68)
Introduction	199	(1)
Key Findings	199	(2)
The Need for Improved Urban Operational Capabilities	201	(1)
Technological Promises and the Reality of War	202	(2)
Next Steps	204	(3)
Appendix
A. Trigonometric Calculations	207	(2)
B. Microwave Recharging of Mini-UAVs and Micro-UAVs	209	(4)
C. Detecting Snipers	213	(4)
D. Lessons Learned From Past Urban Air Operations	217	(50)
Bibliography	267