Tier 4 UAVs

[Steve Pace]

We know about Tier 1 thru Tier 3 UAVs. Will there be Tier 4 UAVs? If so, will they be dedicated combat types?

Steve Pace

 

[Matej]

If you mean Gnat 750, Predator, etc. series, it is very unlikely that it ever will continue. "Tier" nomenclature was used in early 90s as some sort of consolidation of UAV development projects. Now we are far behind that and we have other sorting categories (such as RQ or MQ series).

BTW in the time of the battle between Global Hawk and DarkStar there was unofficial Tier IV specification: Lockheed/Boeing team wanted to cancell the Global Hawk development and instead of it they proposed to end the DarkStar effort and replace it with bigger and stealthier UAV, some sort of Tier III reincarnation.

 

[sublight]

I believe there are several mentions of Tier IV in "A comparative study of weapon system innovation" by Thomas P. Ehrhard.
Its a 700+ page pdf.

 

[Matej]

Yes, its an excellent work regarding the american UAVs. It says in general what I wrote in my previous post.

 

[Steve Pace]

Is there a link to that pdf? -SP

 

[quellish]

Is there a link to that pdf? -SP

See here:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,511.msg92771.html#msg92771

 

[sublight]

Yes, its an excellent work regarding the american UAVs. It says in general what I wrote in my previous post.

Sorry Matej I didnt catch that...

 

[sublight_]

Anything more ever come out of the Tier IV tidbits? I know you mentioned it before Matej but I was hoping for more info....