At the direction of Congress, all non-lethal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs of the military services were consolidated into a joint Department of Defense program. A result of this legislation was the publication of a joint master plan directing the future of UAV development. The purpose of this study is to determine if the Department of Defense joint unmanned aerial vehicle program will satisfy the UAV needs of the Army to conduct tactical intelligence collection. The study compares the requirements of the Army UAV program against the specifications for the joint close-range (JUAV-CR) and joint short-range (JUAV-SR) UAV systems. The study concludes the Army has clearly defined its requirements for unmanned aerial vehicle operations. The research finds significant differences exist between the Army and joint programs. However, these differences do not impact on the essential needs ofthe Army. The joint UAV program supports the UAV needs of the Army. After a slowstart, the joint UAV program is proceeding rapidly. Barring funding constraints, theArmy, and the other services, will soon possess an operational short-range (out to150 km) UAV system capable of per forming tactical intelligence collection.
