Drones: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Essay -- UAVs Technology Essays

Like much of today’s technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles attribute their creation to the military. The idea of using unmanned aircraft has long been a dream for the military -- scouting planes without any casualties to report should something go wrong, air strikes with only time and money to lose, and the ability to wage war without losing a single life. Well the third one may perhaps not be realistic – as Afghanistan has shown, lack of ground troops leaves certain entities unchecked.1 However, it may be argued that â€Å"they represent a significant step toward the eventual automation of the battlefield—one in which teleoperated or robotic systems replace many soldiers.†2 Either way, these machines do create a less expensive and more dispensable alternative to conventional air battles. This creates obvious moral issues, as the country with such technology is no longer as tentative to engage in armed combat. UAVs can do many things that conventional aircraft cannot. As Steven Ashley puts it, â€Å"’Traditional’ aircraft—fast photo/ reconnaissance fighters, high-flying U-2s, and sensor-laden patrol planes—nor the classified orbital spy satellites can do the job of the simple, prop-driven unmanned aerial vehicles.†3 These advantages, coupled with their low expense, place them in great demand. As Ronald R. Fogelman (U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff) states, â€Å"We are now impressed by the convergence of technological advances in computers, flight controls, lightweight materials, advanced electric motors, and communications packages that will make modern UAVs extremely effective.†4 UAVs are not only to be used for such questionable moral circumstances as war; these vehicles can provide a plethora of services in the commercial market. H... ...chanical Engineering 125 (2003): 11. 52 Steven Ashley, â€Å"Robot Spy Planes Peer Over the Horizon,† Mechanical Engineering 118 (1996): 91. 53 Brian P. Tice, â€Å"Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,† Airpower Journal 5 (1991): 48. Works Cited Max Boot, â€Å"The New American Way of War,† Foreign Affairs 82 (2003): 41. Brian P. Tice, â€Å"Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,† Airpower Journal 5 (1991): 41. Christopher M. Centner, â€Å"Consigning Air Bases to the Dustbin of History,† Airpower Journal 12 (1998): 100. John Degaspari, â€Å"Flying Blind,† Mechanical Engineering 125 (2003): 10. Steven Ashley, â€Å"Robot Spy Planes Peer Over the Horizon,† Mechanical Engineering 118 (1996): 84. Tom Clarke, â€Å"Flying Free,† Nature 417 (2002): 582. http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/uav.htm = info http://uav.wff.nasa.gov/ = info http://www.twofaces.net/newpage/1337hum1r/ = background