Summary
Unmanned Flight
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Extract
Drones, for short.
For the post quarter-century comparatively small, lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have offered armies and navies the prospect of seeing beyond the horizon without risk to personnel and possibly without enemies knowing they are under surveillance.
The widespread adoption of such devices has been delayed by several factors, including an accident rate far higher than would be acceptable in the context of manned aircraft. However, the situation is now being improved by the development of automated take-off, landing and navigation systems that not only improve safety but also eliminate the need for a pilot-rated operator. In the following discussion (which excludes dedicated attack drones), vehicles are characterised by their launch weight, since this is a broad indicator of payload: radius performance. It should, however, be remembered that conventional designs cannot be compared directly to those with a vertical take-off capability, since the latter have (at least historically) been penalised in terms of fuel load and cruise efficiency. Operational Background The tactical UAV concept was pioneered by Israel, which had discovered, through heavy losses in 1973, the seriousness ...See the full content of this document
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