Death by a Thousand Cuts

Technological progress in a number of areas to include aerodynamics, micro- electronics, sensors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), micro-manufacturing, and more, is ushering in the possibility for the affordable development and acquisition of a new class of military systems known as micro-air vehicles (MAV). MAVs are a subset of uninhabited air vehicles (UAV) that are up two orders of magnitude smaller than the manned systems that permeate our contemporary life. Recent advances in miniaturization may make possible vehicles that can carry out important military missions that heretofore were beyond our reach or could only be attained at great risk or resource expenditure. These missions will be possible if MAVs can fulfill their potential to attain certain attributes to include: low cost, low weight, little to no logistical footprint mission versatility, range, endurance, stealth, and precision. A review of the literature in this area indicates that the military potential of this emerging field remains on the technological push side of the equation with little to no requirements pull. from the user community. Accordingly, concepts of operations deriving from the war fighting community particularly the United States Air Force (USAF) are sparse. At a higher level, the potential of micro-air vehicles opens up new possibilities in the formulation of military strategies that require investigation. This paper provides an outline of the contemporary technological dimension of MAVs and contemplates how they might be used to enhance Air Force operations