While I still, ahem, wait for the full text - little birdies tell me some of the gritty details that led to the Fire Scout problems outlined in the post from earlier this week.
Yep, this will do it.
- Fragile data link that results in lost communication and constant launch delays. Is that what caused the Libya debacle?I note that all the above is in an almost sterile electronic environment.
- Operators can't establish data link with ground control station (GCS) before flight without "excessive troubleshooting" and "procedural workarounds," and the data link often dropped out during flight. See the National Capital Region airspace violation. That's what happened.
- Because reestablishing that data link with the air vehicle is time-consuming, it's not suitable for time-sensitive operations.
- Fire Scout completed only 54 percent of assigned missions aboard the HALYBURTON this year, and failed to complete a single mission during a pre-deployment dress rehearsal at Webster Field.
The report does note that Fire Scout's payload does provide valuable ISR, it's just hampered by the fact that the system itself has such operational problems.
