An RQ-2 Pioneer, a reconnaissance UAV used by the US military during the Gulf and Iraq Wars.

Although most UAVs are fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft designs such as this MQ-8B Fire Scout also exist.

An unmanned, aerial vehicle (UAV) is an unpiloted aircraft. UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automation systems. UAVs are currently used in a number of military roles, including reconnaissance and attack. They are also used in a small but growing number of civil applications such as firefighting when a human observer would be at risk, police observation of civil disturbances and crime scenes, and reconnaissance support in natural disasters. UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too "dull, dirty, or dangerous" for manned aircraft. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2320x917, 318 KB) Photo by CM Iraq, Summer 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: Unmanned aerial vehicle ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2320x917, 318 KB) Photo by CM Iraq, Summer 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: Unmanned aerial vehicle ... An RQ-2B on the tarmac Crewmen recover an RQ-2 Pioneer aboard USS Iowa Developed jointly by AAI Corporation and Israel Aircraft Industries, the RQ-2 Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has served with United States Navy, Marine, and Army units, deploying aboard ship and ashore since 1986. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Airplane and Aeroplane redirect here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rotary-wing aircraft. ... Flying machine redirects here. ... Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ...

There is a wide variety of UAV shapes, sizes, configurations, and characteristics. For the purposes of this article and to distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as capable of controlled, sustained, level flight and powered by a jet or reciprocating engine. Cruise missiles are not classed as UAVs, because, like many other guided missiles, the vehicle itself is a weapon that is not reused, even though it is also unmanned and in some cases remotely guided. A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... Internal combustion piston engine Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, internal combustion piston engine. ... A Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile of the German Luftwaffe A cruise missile is a guided missile which carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system, usually a jet engine, to allow sustained flight; it is essentially a flying bomb. ...

The abbreviation UAV has been expanded in some cases to UAVS (unmanned-aircraft vehicle system). The Federal Aviation Administration has adopted the generic class unmanned-aircraft system (UAS) originally introduced by the U.S. Navy to reflect the fact that these are not just aircraft, but systems, including ground stations and other elements. FAA redirects here. ... USN redirects here. ...

History

Main article: History of unmanned aerial vehicles

The earliest UAV was A. M. Low's "Aerial Target" of 1916.^[1] A number of remote-controlled airplane advances followed, including the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane, during and after World War I, including the first scale RPV, developed by the film star and model airplane enthusiast Reginald Denny in 1935.^[2] More were made in the technology rush during the Second World War; these were used both to train antiaircraft gunners and to fly attack missions. Jet engines were applied after WW2, in such types as the Teledyne Ryan Firebee I of 1951, while companies like Beechcraft also got in the game with their Model 1001 for the United States Navy in 1955.^[3] Nevertheless, they were little more than remote-controlled airplanes until the Vietnam Era. Unmanned aerial vehicles, known variously as UAVs, drones, and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs), have been a feature of aviation for much of its history, though in limited or secondary roles, and often overlooked. ... Professor Archibald Montgomery Low Professor Archibald Montgomery Low (born 1888 Purley, London, died September 1956) was an English engineer, research physicist and inventor, he was also the author of more than 40 books. ... The Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane was a project undertaken during World War I to develop an aerial torpedo, a pilotless aircraft capable of carrying explosives to its target. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Aircraft modeling or aeromodelling is a hobby that has been popular since the 1930s. ... Reginald Denny in his final acting role as Commodore Schmidlapp in Batman: The Movie. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Ryan Aeronautical Company was founded by T. Claude Ryan in San Diego, California, USA in 1934. ... The Ryan Firebee was a series of target drones or unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the Ryan Aeronautical beginning in 1951. ... The Beech Aircraft Corporation, purchased by Raytheon Aircraft on February 8, 1980, and often called Beechcraft after the name they give their aircraft, is a manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. ... USN redirects here. ... Vietnam Era is a term used by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to classify veterans of the Vietnam War. ...

Front view of a MQ-1 Predator (Reno Air Show)

With the maturing and miniaturization of applicable technologies as seen in the 1980s and 1990s, interest in UAVs grew within the higher echelons of the US military. UAVs were seen to offer the possibility of cheaper, more capable fighting machines that can be used without risk to aircrews. Initial generations were primarily surveillance aircraft, but some were fitted with weaponry (such as the MQ-1 Predator, which utilized AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles). An armed UAV is known as an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 347 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Close up view of Predator at Reno Air Show. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 347 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Close up view of Predator at Reno Air Show. ... At Paris Air Show 2007 The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. ... English Electric Canberra PR.9 photo reconnaissance aircraft CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft of the Canadian Air Force. ... At Paris Air Show 2007 The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. ... Type Air-to-ground and surface-to-surface Missile Nationality United States Era Cold War and through Global War on Terrorism Launch platform Rotary- and fixed-wing platforms, Unmanned aerial vehicle, tri-pods, ships, and ground vehicles Target Three warhead variants defeat an array of targets including tanks, light armored... J-UCAS Boeing X-45A UCAV technology demonstrator The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) or combat drones is the name of a new class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). ...

In the future, it is expected more and more roles will be performed by unmanned aircraft. Bombing and ground attack will be added to the surveillance role. Air-to-air combat will likely be the last domain of the human pilot. Search and rescue could be performed by UAVs with heat sensors to help find humans lost in the wilderness, trapped in collapsed buildings, or adrift at sea. For other uses, see Bomber (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Fighter Ace is an online multiplayer computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots. ... Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea...

UAV classification

Luna X 2000 UAV of the German Army

The Mexican UAV S4 Ehécatl in take-off mode

UAVs typically fall into one of six functional categories (although multi-role airframe platforms are becoming more prevalent): Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 329 KB) German LUNA unmanned aerial vehicle. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 329 KB) German LUNA unmanned aerial vehicle. ... Luna X 2000 is a German unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in service with the Bundeswehr (German Army) and Norwegian Army. ... The German Army (German: [1], [IPA: heɐ]  ) is the land component of the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces) of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Image:Ehecatl1. ...

• Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile
• Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence
• Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk missions (see Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle)
• Logistics - UAVs specifically designed for cargo and logistics operation
• Research and development - used to further develop UAV technologies to be integrated into field deployed UAV aircraft
• Civil and Commercial UAVs - UAVs specifically designed for civil and commercial applications

They can also be categorised in terms of range/altitude and the following has been advanced as relevant at such industry events as ParcAberporth Unmanned Systems forum. J-UCAS Boeing X-45A UCAV technology demonstrator The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) or combat drones is the name of a new class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). ... ParcAberporth ParcAberporth is a technology park created on what was Royal Air Force (RAF) station Aberporth, located near the village of that name in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. ...

• Handheld 2,000 ft (600 m) altitude, about 2 km range
• Close 5,000 ft (1,500 m) altitude, up to 10 km range
• NATO type 10,000 ft (3,000 m) altitude, up to 50 km range
• Tactical 18,000 ft (5,500 m) altitude, about 160 km range
• MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) up to 30,000 ft (9,000 m) and range over 200 km
• HALE (high altitude, long endurance) over 30,000 ft and indefinite range
• HYPERSONIC high-speed, supersonic (Mach 1-5) or hypersonic (Mach 5+) 50,000 ft (15,200 m) or suborbital altitude, range over 200km
• ORBITAL low earth orbit (Mach 25+)
• CIS Lunar Earth-Moon transfer

The U.S. military employs a tier system for categorizing its UAVs.

U.S. military UAV classifications

The modern concept of U.S. military UAVs is to have the various aircraft systems work together in support of personnel on the ground. The integration scheme is described in terms of a "Tier" system, and is used by military planners to designate the various individual aircraft elements in an overall usage plan for integrated operations. The Tiers do not refer to specific models of aircraft, but rather roles for which various models and their manufacturers competed. The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps each has its own tier system, and the two systems are themselves not integrated. Seal of the Air Force. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...

US Air Force tiers

• Tier N/A: Small/Micro UAV. Role filled by BATMAV (Wasp Block III). [1]
• Tier I: Low altitude, long endurance. Role filled by the Gnat 750.^[4]
• Tier II: Medium altitude, long endurance (MALE). Role currently filled by the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper.
• Tier II+: High altitude, long endurance conventional UAV (or HALE UAV). Altitude: 60,000 to 65,000 feet (19,800 m), less than 300 knots (560 km/h) airspeed, 3,000-nautical-mile (6,000 km) radius, 24 hour time-on-station capability. Complementary to the Tier III- aircraft. Role currently filled by the RQ-4 Global Hawk.
• Tier III-: High altitude, long endurance low-observable UAV. Same parameters as, and complementary to, the Tier II+ aircraft. The RQ-3 DarkStar was originally intended to fulfill this role before it was "terminated."^[5][6]

The General Atomics reconnaissance GNAT 750 is a UAV that can fly for 48 hours and reach altitudes of 26,250 feet. ... At Paris Air Show 2007 The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. ... The MQ-9 Reaper (originally the RQ-9 Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for use by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, and the British Royal Air Force. ... The Northrop Grumman (formerly Ryan Aeronautical) RQ-4 Global Hawk (known as Tier II+ during development) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the US Air Force as a surveillance aircraft. ... The RQ-3 DarkStar (known as Tier III- during development) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was operated by the US Air Force. ...

US Marine Corps tiers

• Tier N/A: Micro UAV. Wasp III fills this role, driven largely by the desire for commonality with the USAF BATMAV. [2]
• Tier I: Role currently filled by the Dragon Eye but all ongoing and future procurement for the Dragon Eye program is going now to the RQ-11B Raven B.
• Tier II: Role currently filled by the ScanEagle and, to some extent, the RQ-2 Pioneer.
• Tier III: For two decades, the role of medium range tactical UAV was filled by the Pioneer UAV. In July 2007, the Marine Corps announced its intention to retire the aging Pioneer fleet and transition to the Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System by AAI Corporation. The first Marine Shadow systems have already been delivered, and training for their respective Marine Corps units is underway.^[7][8]

A Dragon Eye UAV The Dragon Eye Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a 2. ... ScanEagle is a low cost recon UAV built by Boeing and The Insitu Group. ... An RQ-2B on the tarmac Crewmen recover an RQ-2 Pioneer aboard USS Iowa Developed jointly by AAI Corporation and Israel Aircraft Industries, the RQ-2 Pioneer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has served with United States Navy, Marine, and Army units, deploying aboard ship and ashore since 1986. ... AAI Corporation (Aircraft Armaments Incorporated) is an aerospace and defense manufacturing firm in Hunt Valley, Maryland. ...

U.S. Army tiers

• Tier I: Small UAV. Role filled by the RQ-11A/B Raven.
• Tier II: Short Range Tactical UAV. Role filled by the RQ-7A/B Shadow 200.
• Tier III: Medium Range Tactical UAV. Role currently filled by the RQ-5A / MQ-5A/B Hunter and i-Gnat, but transitioning to the Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) MQ-1C Warrior.

U.S. Army Master Sgt. ... The RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is used by the United States Army. ... MQ-1C Warrior is an Extended-Range Multi-Purpose (ERMP) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under development by General Atomics (GA), funded by United States Army. ...

Future Combat Systems (FCS) (U.S. Army) classes

• Class I: For small units. Role to be filled by all new UAV with some similarity to Micro Air Vehicle.
• Class II: For companies. (cancelled.) [3]
• Class III: For battalions. (cancelled.) [4]
• Class IV: For brigades. Role to be filled by the RQ-8A/B / MQ-8B Fire Scout.

Future Combat Systems (FCS) is a U.S. military program based on Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research, which is intended to be the core building block of the US Armys Future Force. ... Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California - A Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) flies over a simulated combat area during an operational test flight. ... A Fire Scout helicopter preparing to land on the USS Nashville The RQ-8A Fire Scout is an unmanned, robotic helicopter under development in Rancho Bernardo, California for use by the United States armed forces. ...

Unmanned-Aircraft System

UAS, or unmanned-aircraft system, is the official U.S. Department of Defense term for an unmanned, aerial vehicle. The term was first officially used in the DoD 2005 Unmanned Aircraft System Roadmap 2005–2030.^[9] Many people have mistakenly used the term Unmanned 'Aerial' System, or Unmanned 'Air Vehicle' System. The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ...

Officially, the term "unmanned, aerial vehicle" was changed to "unmanned-aircraft system" to reflect the fact that these complex systems include ground stations and other elements besides the actual air vehicles. The term UAS, however, is not widely used, as the term UAV has become part of the modern lexicon.

The military role of UASs is growing at unprecedented rates. In 2005, tactical and theater level unmanned aircraft (UA) alone had flown over 100,000 flight hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Rapid advances in technology are enabling more and more capability to be placed on smaller airframes which is spurring a large increase in the number of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) being deployed on the battlefield. The use of SUAS in combat is so new that no formal DoD wide reporting procedures have been established to track SUAS flight hours. As the capabilities grow for all types of UAS, nations continue to subsidize their research and development leading to further advances enabling them to perform a multitude of missions. UAS no longer only perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, although this still remains their predominant type. Their roles have expanded to areas including electronic attack (EA), strike missions, suppression and/or destruction of enemy air defense (SEAD/DEAD), network node or communications relay, combat search and rescue (CSAR), and derivations of these themes. These UAS range in cost from a few thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars, and the aircraft used in these systems range in size from a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) weighing less than one pound to large aircraft weighing over 40,000 pounds. Combatants United States, Poland, France, Canada, Pakistan, India, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines (in the Philippines theatre only), Northern Alliance, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ethiopia, Somalia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Georgia Taliban, al-Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... AGM-88 HARM missile on a U.S. Navy aircraft SEAD (pronounced: see-add or seed), or Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, also known as Wild Weasels and Iron Hand, operations are military actions to suppress enemy surface-based air defences (Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft artillery... Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea... Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California - A Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) flies over a simulated combat area during an operational test flight. ...

UAV functions

UAVs perform a wide variety of functions. The majority of these functions are some form of remote sensing. Less common UAV functions include interaction and transport. To create viable new UAV systems, these functions are integrated to allow the UAV to perform complex tasks within its given application. For the purported psychic ability to sense remotely, see Remote viewing right Synthetic aperture radar image of Death Valley colored using polarimetry In the broadest sense, remote sensing is the short or large-scale acquisition of information of an object or phenomenon, by the use of either recording or real...

Remote Sensing

UAV remote sensing functions include electromagnetic spectrum sensors, biological sensors, and chemical sensors. A UAV's electromagnetic sensors typically include visual spectrum, infrared, or near infrared cameras as well as radar systems. Other electromagnetic wave detectors such as microwave and ultraviolet spectrum sensors may also be used, but are uncommon. Biological sensors are sensors capable of detecting the airborne presence of various microorganisms and other biological factors. Chemical sensors use laser spectroscopy to analyze the concentrations of each element in the air. Although some radiations are marked as N for no in the diagram, some waves do in fact penetrate the atmosphere, although extremely minimally compared to the other radiations The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is the range of all possible electromagnetic radiation. ... For other uses, see Infrared (disambiguation). ... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... Schematic of a LIBS system - Courtesy of US Army Research Laboratory Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a type of atomic emission spectroscopy which utilises a highly energetic laser pulse as the excitation source. ... The periodic table of the chemical elements A chemical element, or element, is a type of atom that is distinguished by its atomic number; that is, by the number of protons in its nucleus. ...

Transport

UAVs can transport goods using various means based on the configuration of the UAV itself. Most payloads are stored in an internal payload bay somewhere in the airframe. For many helicopter configurations, external payloads can be tethered to the bottom of the airframe. With fixed wing UAVs, payloads can also be attached to the airframe, but aerodynamics of the aircraft with the payload must be assessed. For such situations, payloads are often enclosed in aerodynamic pods for transport. For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... Airplane and Aeroplane redirect here. ... For the Daft Punk song, see Aerodynamic (song). ...

Scientific Research

Unmanned aircraft are uniquely capable of penetrating areas which may be too dangerous for piloted craft. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began utilizing the Aerosonde unmanned aircraft system in 2006 as a hurricane hunter. AAI Corporation subsidiary Aerosonde Pty Ltd. of Victoria (Australia), designs and manufactures the 35-pound system, which can fly into a hurricane and communicate near-real-time data directly to the National Hurricane Center in Florida. Beyond the standard barometric pressure and temperature data typically cultivated from manned hurricane hunters, the Aerosonde system provides measurements far closer to the water’s surface than previously captured. Further applications for unmanned aircraft can be explored once solutions have been developed for their accommodation within national airspace, an issue currently under discussion by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Aerosonde is a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed by a team led by the Insitu Group and manufactured under license by Environmental Systems and Services. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... Aerosonde Ltd logo Aerosonde Ltd is an Australian-based developer and manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, including the Aerosonde series. ... VIC redirects here. ... National Weather Service Logo The U.S. National Hurricane Center is the division of National Weather Services Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... FAA redirects here. ...

Precision Bombing

MQ-1 Predator UAVs armed with Hellfire missiles are now used as platforms for hitting ground targets in sensitive areas. Armed Predators were first used in late 2001 from bases in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, mostly for targeted assassinations inside Afghanistan. Since then, there were several reported cases in such assassinations taking place in Pakistan, this time from Afghan based Predators. The advantage of using a drone, rather than an manned aircraft in such cases, is to avoid a diplomatic embarrassment should the aircraft be shot down and the pilots captured, since the bombings took place in countries deemed friendly and without the official permission of those countries.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]} At Paris Air Show 2007 The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. ... Hellfire AGM-114A AGM-114 Hellfire (Helicopter launched fire-and-forget) is a U.S. air-to-ground missile system designed to defeat tanks and other individual targets while minimizing the exposure of the launch vehicle to enemy fire. ... assassin, see Assassin (disambiguation) Jack Ruby assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald in a very public manner. ...

A Predator, based in a neighboring Arab country, was used to kill suspected al-Qa'ida terrorists in Yemen on November 3, 2002. This marked the first use of an armed Predator as an attack aircraft outside of a theater of war such as Afghanistan.^[14]

Design and development considerations

UAV design and production is a global activity, with manufacturers all across the world. The United States and Israel were initial pioneers in this technology, and U.S. manufacturers have a market share of over 60% in 2006, with U.S. market share due to increase by 5-10% through 2016.^[15] Northrop Grumman and General Atomics are the dominant manufacturers in this industry, on the strength of the Global Hawk and Predator/Mariner systems.^[15] Israeli and European manufacturers form a second tier due to lower indigenous investments, and the governments of those nations have initiatives to acquire U.S. systems due to higher levels of capability.^[15] European market share represented just 4% of global revenue in 2006.^[15] The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of a 1994 merger between Northrop and Grumman. ... General Atomics is a nuclear physics and defense contractor headquartered in San Diego, California. ...

Degree of autonomy

Rear view of a MQ-1 Predator (Reno Air Show)

UAV monitoring and control at CBP

Some early UAVs are called drones because they are no more sophisticated than a simple radio-controlled aircraft controlled by a human pilot (sometimes called the operator) at all times. More sophisticated versions may have built-in control and/or guidance systems to perform low-level human pilot duties such as speed and flight-path stabilization, and simple prescripted navigation functions such as waypoint following. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 386 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Rear view of a Predator (Reno Air Show). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 386 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Rear view of a Predator (Reno Air Show). ... At Paris Air Show 2007 The MQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a MALE (medium-altitude, long-endurance) UAV system. ... CBP Air and Marine Emblem CBP Air Interdiction Agent Badge CBP Air Blackhawk UAV The stated mission of the Office of CBP Air and Marine is to protect the American people and critical infrastructure by using an integrated and coordinated air and marine force to detect, interdict, and prevent acts...

From this perspective, most early UAVs are not autonomous at all. In fact, the field of air-vehicle autonomy is a recently emerging field, whose economics is largely driven by the military to develop battle-ready technology. Compared to the manufacturing of UAV flight hardware, the market for autonomy technology is fairly immature and undeveloped. Because of this, autonomy has been and may continue to be the bottleneck for future UAV developments, and the overall value and rate of expansion of the future UAV market could be largely driven by advances to be made in the field of autonomy.

Autonomy technology that is important to UAV development falls under the following categories:

• Sensor fusion: Combining information from different sensors for use on board the vehicle
• Communications: Handling communication and coordination between multiple agents in the presence of incomplete and imperfect information
• Path planning: Determining an optimal path for vehicle to go while meeting certain objectives and mission constraints, such as obstacles or fuel requirements
• Trajectory Generation (sometimes called Motion planning): Determining an optimal control maneuver to take to follow a given path or to go from one location to another
• Trajectory Regulation: The specific control strategies required to constrain a vehicle within some tolerance to a trajectory
• Task Allocation and Scheduling: Determining the optimal distribution of tasks amongst a group of agents, with time and equipment constraints
• Cooperative Tactics: Formulating an optimal sequence and spatial distribution of activities between agents in order to maximize chance of success in any given mission scenario

Autonomy is commonly defined as the ability to make decisions without human intervention. To that end, the goal of autonomy is to teach machines to be "smart" and act more like humans. The keen observer may associate this with the development in the field of artificial intelligence made popular in the 1980s and 1990s such as expert systems, neural networks, machine learning, natural language processing, and vision. However, the mode of technological development in the field of autonomy has mostly followed a bottom-up approach, such as hierarchical control systems^[16], and recent advances have been largely driven by the practitioners in the field of control science, not computer science. Similarly, autonomy has been and probably will continue to be considered an extension of the controls field. Sensor fusion is the combining of sensory data or data derived from sensory data from disparate sources such that the resulting information is in some sense better than would be possible when these sources were used individually. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... AI redirects here. ... An expert system is a software system that attempts to reproduce the performance of one or more human experts, most commonly in a specific problem domain, and is a traditional application and/or subfield of artificial intelligence. ... // Traditionally, the term neural network had been used to refer to a network or circuitry of biological neurons. ... As a broad subfield of artificial intelligence, machine learning is concerned with the design and development of algorithms and techniques that allow computers to learn. At a general level, there are two types of learning: inductive, and deductive. ... Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of artificial intelligence and computational linguistics. ... This article is about an engineering theory called control theory. ...

To some extent, the ultimate goal in the development of autonomy technology is to replace the human pilot. It remains to be seen whether future developments of autonomy technology, the perception of the technology, and most importantly, the political climate surrounding the use of such technology, will limit the development and utility of autonomy for UAV applications.

Interoperable UAV technologies became essential as systems proved their mettle in military operations, taking on tasks too challenging or dangerous for warfighters. NATO addressed the need for commonality through STANAG (Standardization Agreement) 4586. According to a NATO press release, the agreement began the ratification process in 1992. Its goal was to allow allied nations to easily share information obtained from unmanned aircraft through common ground control station technology. STANAG 4586-compliant aircraft are equipped to translate information into standardized message formats; likewise, information received from other compliant aircraft can be transferred into vehicle-specific messaging formats for seamless interoperability. Amendments have since been made to the original agreement, based on expert feedback from the field and an industry panel known as the Custodian Support Team. Edition Two of STANAG 4586 is currently under review. There are many systems available today that comply with STANAG 4586, including products by industry leaders such as AAI Corporation, CDL Systems, and Raytheon, all three of which are members of the Custodian Support Team for this protocol.

Endurance

Because UAVs are not burdened with the physiological limitations of human pilots, they can be designed for maximized on-station times. The maximum flight duration of unmanned, aerial vehicles varies widely. Internal-combustion-engine aircraft endurance depends strongly on the percentage of fuel burned as a fraction of total weight (the Breguet endurance equation), and so is largely independent of aircraft size. Solar-electric UAVs hold potential for unlimited flight, a concept championed by the Helios Prototype, which unfortunately was destroyed in a 2003 crash. One of the major problems with UAVs is no capability for inflight refuelling. Currently the US Air Force is promoting research that should end in an inflight UAV refueling capability, which should be available by 2010. Louis Charles Breguet (January 2, 1880 - May 4, 1955) was a French airplane designer and builder, one of the early aviation pioneers. ... Helios Prototype UAV in flight Helios Prototype is the name of a solar- and fuel cell system-powered unmanned aerial vehicle that NASA tested. ...

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is to sign a contract on building an UAV which should have an enormous endurance capability of about 5 years. The project is entitled "Vulture". The developers are certain neither on the design of the UAV nor on what fuel it should run to be able to stay in air without any maintenance for such a long period of time.^[17] The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military. ...

Existing UAV systems

UAVs have been developed and deployed by many countries around the world. For a list of models by country, see: List of unmanned aerial vehicles A Boeing 720 being flown under remote control as part of NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration The following is a list of Unmanned aerial vehicles developed and operated by various countries around the world. ...

Other information

• UAVs have been used in many episodes of the science-fiction television series Stargate SG-1, and an sentient unmanned, combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) was a central figure in the action film Stealth.
• During the Gulf War, Iraqi Army forces surrendered to the UAVs of the USS Wisconsin.
• In October, 2002, a few days before the U.S. Senate vote on the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, about 75 senators were told in closed session that Saddam Hussein had the means of delivering biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction by UAV drones that could be launched from ships off the Atlantic coast to attack U.S. eastern seaboard cities. Colin Powell suggested in his presentation to the United Nations that they had been transported out of Iraq and could be launched against the U.S.^[18] It was later revealed that Iraq's UAV fleet consisted of only a few outdated Czech training drones.^[19] At the time, there was a vigorous dispute within the intelligence community as to whether CIA's conclusions about Iraqi UAVs were accurate. The U.S. Air Force agency most familiar with UAVs denied outright that Iraq possessed any offensive UAV capability.^[20]
• In December 2002, the first ever dogfight involving a UAV occurred when an Iraqi MiG-25 and a U.S. RQ-1 Predator fired missiles at each other. The MiG's missile destroyed the Predator. ^[21]

For the song from The Rocky Horror Show, see Science Fiction/Double Feature. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series, part of the Stargate franchise. ... Not to be confused with sapience. ... The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is the name of a new class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that have been designed to carry out air strikes. ... Stealth is a 2005 action/adventure thriller starring Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... USS Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-class battleship, and is the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... The legality of the Iraq War has been widely debated since the United States, Great Britain, Italy and several other countries launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... A closed session (formally a session with closed doors) is a parliamentary procedure in the Standing Rules of the United States Senate for discussing matters requiring secrecy. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease_causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... Early detection of chemical agents Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare While the study of chemicals and their military uses was widespread in China, the use of toxic materials has historically been viewed with mixed emotions and some disdain in the West (especially when the enemy were doing it). ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... General Colin Luther Powell, United States Army (Ret. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... This article is about the aerial combat maneuver. ... MiG 25 Foxbat The MiG-25 (NATO reporting name Foxbat) is a high-speed interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft produced by the Soviet Unions Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau. ... The RQ-1 Predator is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which the U.S. Air Force describes as a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle system. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Unmanned aerial vehicles

• Miniature UAVs
• 82d Aerial Targets Squadron
• Aerobot
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
• intelligence collection management
• International Aerial Robotics Competition
• Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance
• Kettering Bug
• MASINT
• Micro air vehicle
• ParcAberporth
• Remotely Operated Vehicle
• UAV Battlelab
• Unmanned Aircraft System
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
• Unmanned Ground Vehicle

This is part of a larger article, on A History of UAVs. ... Patch of the 82d Aerial Targets Squadron The 82d Aerial Target Squadron is located at Tyndall AFB. This squadron is the only unit left in the USAF to fly the F-4 Phantom II, although they are QF-4C/E/G versions in the role of aerial targets. ... An aerobot is an aerial robot, usually used in the context of an unmanned space probe. ... // An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a robot which travels underwater. ... The International Aerial Robotics Competition (IARC) began in 1991 on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. ... For the educational interface, see [Indiana Standards Tool for Alternate Reporting]. ISTAR stands for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance. ... Kettering Bug Full size model on display at National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio The Kettering Bug was an aerial torpedo, the forerunner of what today is considered a UAV or a cruise missile. ... MASINT, short for Measurement and Signature Intelligence, refers to intelligence gathering activities that bring together disparate elements that do not fit within the definitions of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), or Human Intelligence (HUMINT). ... Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California - A Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) flies over a simulated combat area during an operational test flight. ... ParcAberporth ParcAberporth is a technology park created on what was Royal Air Force (RAF) station Aberporth, located near the village of that name in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. ... Variety of ROVs: Work Class, General, Mini Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) is the common accepted name for tethered underwater robots in the offshore industry. ... The UAV Battlelab is a U.S. Air Force flight test and development facility specifically dedicated to developing unmanned aerial vehicles. ... Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is the term introduced by DoD and adopted by the FAA to replace the term UAV. The UAS is composed of the Unmanned Aircraft (UA), the Control System, and the Datalink. ... J-UCAS Boeing X-45A UCAV technology demonstrator The Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) or combat drones is the name of a new class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). ... A Gladiator Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle Unmanned ground vehicles or UGV are robotic platforms that are used as an extension of human capability. ...

References

Aviation Week & Space Technology (often abbreviated as Aviation Week or AW&ST) is a weekly magazine. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... For other people named Bill Nelson, see Bill Nelson (disambiguation). ...

External links

• Current Unmanned Vehicles and Systems
• Gyrodyne UAV History
• VTOL UAV's
• "Human Pilots: Who Needs 'Em?" — Wired News, 23 November 2003
• Future Possible Uses and Designs of UAVs from the World Think Tank
• News About UAVs
• AUVS International Aerial Robotics Competition — Home page by Robert Michelson, AUVS International / Georgia Tech Research Institute
• Defense Update coverage of UAV Mission Systems
• Defense Update reports about UAV employment in Persistent Surveillance
• UAVs over Kosovo - did the Earth move? Defense Systems Daily article about NATO UAV operations in Kosovo 1999, includes a list of losses
• UAV operations An Indian Journal of Aerospace Medicine Analysis of Human Factor Issues in UAV accidents
• The UK and US governments are sharing the latest technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)
• Civilian UAV development
• TAI's Tiha MALE UAV
• DoD UAS Roadmap 2005-2030
• FAA UAS FAQ
• History of WWI-era UAVs
• White paper detailing development and flight test of experimental tail-sitter UAV
• Raven UAV (tiny drone) launch from building in Najaf, Iraq
• Officially confirmed / documented NATO UAV losses in the Balkans
• UAV Focus - Daily News and Information for the UAV and UAS Industry
• Israel sets combat drones against missile launchers in Gaza, World Tribune, May 8, 2007
• The Drone War Air Force Association July 2007
• Israel Starts Reexamining Military Missions and Technology, Aviation Week, August 20, 2006
• UAVs and UCAVs: developments in the European Union A briefing paper for the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Security and Defence October 2007.
• Text of Gates' Air Force comments MSNBC April 21, 2008