Applicability of STANAG 4586 to future unmanned aerial vehicles
For a number of years NATO STANAG 4586 has been promoted as the de-facto standard for the interface between the operator and a UAV platform. The logic behind its generation was the need to stem the proliferation of stove-pipe UAV systems across many NATO nations, thereby enabling interoperability. Moreover, by defining the interface it was foreseen that the option to procure a single operator control station to control a number of different UAV platforms would prove extremely attractive for many reasons. By necessity, the generation of a standard has been driven by the available knowledge in the domain. Generally such knowledge is confined to existing systems and near-term procurement options. With aspirations now turning to highly autonomous systems involving multiple platforms and weapon release, it is not readily apparent that the Standard will remain viable in these instances. Moreover, whilst many nations have signed up to the Standard, the UK has done so with reservations regarding mini-UAVs, urgent operational requirements, and UAVs with weapon release capabilities. The paper assesses the capabilities represented by the Standard and presents the UAV community (including the Standard Custodial Team) with meaningful data and information to inform future Standard development activities.
