Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Digital advances produce improved unmanned aerial vehicles

'One day on a gray-painted aircraft carrier tossed by turbulent seas, a grizzled Navy commander awaits the arrival of a new pilot.

A teeny knock pings from the outside of the officer's watertight steel door.

“Come in,” the commander growls. The door swings open and a squat, cylindrical object negotiates itself over the threshold and then trundles into the officer's quarters.

In a metallic voice the robot cheerfully announces: “R2-D2 reporting for duty, sir!” Already nauseated by the shifting ocean, the commander loses his lunch.

Although the scenario depicted above is imaginary, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency researcher John S. Bay predicts that fully automated unmanned aerial vehicles will be commonplace in the not-so-distant future as human warfighters rely more and more on flying R2-D2s.

Mr. Bay said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper “have both set high goals for automation in UAVs.”'

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Posted by Darren at May 3, 2005 02:13 PM | More from UAV News |