Although there has been no lack of controversy regarding their use on the battlefield, and the ethics and laws surrounding their use will certainly evolve in the coming years, the fact that unmanned aerial systems (UASs) will continue in use is now firmly established. Military customers already make widespread use of a variety of small and large unmanned aircraft in support of ground forces and command posts with over-the-hill battlefield surveillance, intelligence gathering, image capture, data transmission and communications, and as persistent offensive weapons. Removing the pilot and cockpit from aircraft platforms has generally enabled smaller systems that are less expensive to purchase and operate, compared to manned aircraft. In some cases unmanned aircraft can endure and operate in conditions that a human pilot cannot sustain.
展开▼
