Drones And Autonomous Warfare

Drones or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are one of the most advanced warfare technologies of our time and have significantly changed the way warfare is conducted by eliminating the human element in the sky. There are two types of drones for military use: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), with RPAS used mostly for complicated and high-risk missions. Drones are the military’s “eye in the sky”, delivering real-time imagery of activities on the ground. They are relatively cheap and have higher endurance compared to combat aircraft. RPAS require a team of pilot, sensor operator, mission intelligence coordinator, and ground commander and are piloted remotely through a satellite link.

Written by Sylvia Caravotas (Satovarac Consulting) for OIDA. The full article is available from OIDA.