The air force and army use their UAVs differently. For the army, the UAV is a tool for the local combat commander. That's why each combat division will get a Sky Warrior squadron. Combat brigades will also get detachments (of two to four UAVs) as needed (even though the brigades always have several smaller UAVs assigned.) The air force uses Predator and Warrior class UAVs more as strategic recon aircraft. ...
The Sky Warrior will be carrying Hellfire missiles and Viper Strike smart bombs. The army has also been discussing developing its own version of "JDAM Lite." This would be a hundred pound GPS guided smart bomb, which would have about fifty pounds of explosives. That's about the same bang as the new air force SDB (the 250 pound "Small Diameter Bomb"), which also has a steel penetrator. The Hellfire carries about ten pounds of explosives, and Viper Strike two pounds. The GPS guided 155mm Excalibur artillery shell has about 20 pounds of explosives, and the 227mm GPS guided MLRS rocket, with 150 pounds of explosives. "JDAM Lite" would fit into this arsenal nicely. The air force sees all these army "smart weapons" as replacing the need for air force close air support. That's what the army is thinking, as they want to control their own "death from above," and not be forced to ask the air force (which often turns them down.) The U.S. Army lost control of bombers, after many squabbles with the air force, in the 1960s. Only armed helicopters were left. But now the army is buying over 500 bombers, and the air force doesn't like, and hasn't been able to stop it, yet.
Had the technological advance happened during peace, the Air Force would likely have won the peacetime bureaucratic battle. Since the Army (and Marines) are the ones bleeding and dying to win this war, the Army will likely win.
And though I will defend the Air Force and greatly appreciate how much they have supported ground forces in this war, it still isn't what the Army would like. This is natural. The Air Force and Army have different core missions and the air space over and around Army units is where the responsibilities overlap and where the differences become apparent.
The Air Force needs to stop fighting for a shrinking market share and aim high to become our Space Force, as I've concluded; and let the Army field its own Air Corps for direct ground support and recon.
