
New military automated airdrops will use image recognition instead of GPS - twoshedsmcginty
https://thestack.com/cloud/2016/01/19/new-military-automated-airdrops-will-use-image-recognition-instead-of-gps/
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daveguy
From the article: "The current implementation of JPADS relies on GPS tracking
to guide unmanned drops to the correct coordinates, but any deviation from the
drop target, which can be caused by wind or other environment factors, can
result in the necessity for troops to venture into frontline territory to
retrieve the delivery."

The image shows a parachute drop. I'm not sure how image recognition will help
reduce the impact of wind or other environment factors. It seems like military
GPS now in the sub-meter accuracy would be - by far - the best guidance
system. Anyone have any insight as to how image recognition is better than GPS
or even helps (although article implies replacement)?

~~~
jws
1) GPS is a weak signal and can be jammed or spoofed.

2) Your satellite imagery might not be accurately aligned to the coordinated
system. If you want to land on a little flat spot, then doing it visually will
work even with misaligned imagery.

~~~
acveilleux
I'm sure the NRO can source some really accurate satellite and drone based
terrain imagery if needed.

~~~
fapjacks
Maybe, but the cost in that infrastructure is the bureaucracy of getting that
data to the machine doing the dropping. There is a huge walled fortress
surrounding imagery acquisition and analysis that would make tunneling that
information to the airplane/drone in a timely manner very hard in its current
form.

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cyanbane
"which is aimed at reducing the 3000 casualties which in 2007 resulted from
inexact air-drops in militarily sensitive environments such as Afghanistan."

Is that saying 3000 casualties _just in_ 2007? That number is a lot higher
than I would have expected it to be. I didn't realize this was such a problem.

~~~
DanBC
Another part of the problem was using the same colour packaging for food-aid
air drops and cluster munitions. About 10% of cluster bomblets don't explode.

[https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/arms/cluster-
bck1031...](https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/arms/cluster-bck1031.htm)

[http://www.landmineclearance.org/page2.html](http://www.landmineclearance.org/page2.html)

[http://www.rawa.org/cluster2.htm](http://www.rawa.org/cluster2.htm)

~~~
fapjacks
Yeah, not only that, but they look like big soda cans. If there's one thing
little kids have eyes for, there it is.

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liotier
Reminds me of TERCOM's predecessor, DSMAC -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TERCOM#DSMAC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TERCOM#DSMAC)

~~~
acveilleux
Yeah, totally thinking of missile terminal guidance.

I guess fear of jamming, capture, and the need to keep system costs low is why
they're not going for a mapping radar approach instead as that would get them
all-weather capabilities.

~~~
vonmoltke
In addition, a passive system is useful for covert as well as overt drops. An
active system isn't.

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Evolved
Better link that describes the other concerns about GPS that were brought up
and describes in more detail how the system works:
[http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/01/army-testing-
ro...](http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/01/army-testing-robo-
parachutes-dont-need-gps/125151/)

~~~
cfcef
> The testing of a GPS-free version of JPADS is yet another example of efforts
> to develop alternatives to satellite guidance. “GPS is very expensive to
> launch and operate,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during an April 24
> podcast from Silicon Valley, according to National Defense magazine. The
> global positioning system, he said, “makes us vulnerable to attacks, it is
> impossible to use in the valleys of Afghanistan or in a big city [where
> signals are blocked], or in places where the signal is poor.” “At DoD, we
> worry about enemies jamming GPS signals.” Army Maj. Christopher Brown, who
> helps run the service’s efforts in position, navigation and timing, or PNT,
> told C4ISR & Networks last year. “Threats to military GPS have evolved and
> improved at a rapid pace — from a proliferation of small-scale commercial
> jamming devices that can readily be purchased on eBay to large-scale
> military anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities.”

So the real benefits here are: works in mountains, and future-proofs against
better GPS jamming.

~~~
haroldp
Iran managed to "hack" GPS to steer a state of the art American drone to land
safely at a location of their choice over four years ago.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incid...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incident)

I would say that GPS's vulnerability is a current problem rather than a future
one.

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gefh
Time to bring back camouflage cities[1] and ghost armies[2] then. [1]
[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/100years/stories/camouflage...](http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/100years/stories/camouflage.html)
[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Army)

~~~
gefh
My bad; now I know what an air drop is, and it doesn't involve blowing
anything up. Still, the above links are fascinating.

~~~
pavel_lishin
But Ghost, uh, Terrain can still make it possible to steal airdrop supplies by
confusing the camera en route to its destination.

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peter303
I've some of the self-driving systems are relying on remembered images of
highways as much as lidar or radar. A memory of roads near your residence and
workplace is useful.

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nickpsecurity
This might save lives in Modern Warfare's Drop Zone mode.

