How Has Maneuverability Shaped Combat Aircraft Design, and How It Might Shape Fixed-Wing Interceptor Drones and Interception as a Whole.

Abstract

The importance of maneuverability has repeatedly risen, declined, and reemerged throughout the history of military aviation as technology and combat doctrines evolved. “Maneuverability is, in its simplest definition,generating and redirecting momentum.” In practice, however, it extends far beyond abrupt changes in trajectory. It is the ability to precisely control an aircraft's motion—its position, attitude(pitch,yaw and roll), and flight path—in order to accomplish a desired task. Despite being around for decades,unmanned aerial warfare is evolving more rapidly today than ever before. The unprecedented proliferation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), both in production and operational deployment, has dramatically expanded their roles, creating an equally pressing demand for effective counter-UAS technologies and interception systems. Owing to their much smaller size and mass, drones operate in a fundamentally different physical regime, with lower inertia and reduced aerodynamic stress loads, creating opportunities for design philosophies yet to be fully explored. The question is not whether fighter aircraft have reached the right conclusions, but whether fixed-wing drone interceptors have yet to reach their own.