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Ryan Calo: Ten Myths About Drones
Unmanned aerial vehicles ("UAVs"), often called "drones," are coming to American skies. In February, President Obama signed a law that requires the Federal Aviation Administration to pave the way for public agencies and, eventually, private companies, to fly drones within the United States. The proliferation of domestic drones has been preceded by a proliferation of news stories about the technology -- and of some misconceptions regarding what drones are, and how they might be used.
Wikileaks
Groups representing drone industry want to 'paint a more positive picture' of unmanned surveillance aircraft in UK Companies seeking to enable the routine use of surveillance drones across Britain are planning a long-term public relations effort to counter the negative image of the controversial aircraft. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Association (UAVSA), a trade group that represents the drone industry to the UK government, has recommended drones deployed in Britain should be shown to "benefit mankind in general", be decorated with humanitarian-related advertisements, and be painted bright colours to distance them from those used in warzones, details from a UAVSA presentation show.
Surveillance drone industry plans PR effort to counter negative image | UK news | The Guardian
Domestic use of drones
Over half of Air Force UPT (undergraduate pilot training) grads are now assigned to pilot drones rather than a real aircraft.* The big question is why are drone pilots, guys that fly robots remotely from a computer terminal, going to a very expensive year of pilot training? I can understand why the Air Force has chosen to send drone jockeys to pilot training: A shift to piloting drones rather than real aircraft is an assault on organizational culture of the Air Force. In the Air Force, pilots do the fighting and as a result take most of the leadership positions. A transition to robotics upends that arrangement, and is why the USAF has strenuously resisted taking control of the drone mission until recently.
The Future of Drone Warfare - Global Guerrillas
The Drone Threat to National Security: Scientific American
WASP III drone Image: Courtesy AeroVironment, Inc. Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on security and privacy during the age of drone warfare. Part two is available here. The year is 2020.Features | Technology In a world in which nearly anyone can purchase a device capable of photographing locations behind walls, gates and fences, will anyone be able to keep a secret? Strike VTOL Image: Courtesy AeroVironment, Inc. Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series on security and privacy during the age of drone warfare.
The Drone Threat to Privacy: Scientific American
Teal Group Predicts Worldwide UAV Market Will Total Just Over $94 Billion
WASHINGTON, DC, Tuesday, March 1, 2011 -- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been the most dynamic growth sector of the world aerospace industry this decade, report Teal analysts in their latest integrated market analysis. Teal Group's 2011 market study estimates that UAV spending will almost double over the next decade from current worldwide UAV expenditures of $5.9 billion annually to $11.3 billion, totaling just over $94 billion in the next ten years. (For further details and study availability, contact the respective Teal sales representative in your area at http: www.tealgroup.com/) . “The UAV market will continue to be strong despite cuts in defense spending,” said Philip Finnegan, Teal Group’s director of corporate analysis and an author of the study. “UAVs have proved their value in Iraq and Afghanistan and will be a high priority for militaries in the United States and worldwide.”Everyone has either heard or uttered the old cliche, “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during that conversation.” The United States Air Force has taken that statement to heart, and has been working on miniature remote controlled drones that resemble a flying insect. With the ability to capture audio and images, this new drone could be the ultimate in spy technology. Military and civilian scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory came up with the concept while researching how to create unique winged drones that resemble nature’s creations.
Air Force creates fly-sized drones
Ultimate Mashup: NASA's Predator UAV and Google Earth Join Forces to Fight Fires in California - Telstar Logistics
Telstar Logistics has written quite a bit about Tanker 910, the DC-10 water bomber that has become an essential firefighting tool in California this week. But Tanker 910 isn't the only advanced aircraft helping to battle the blaze; to generate the advanced data firefighters need to identify critical fire hotspots, NASA has also been flying a version of the General Atomics Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the smoke-filled skies above Southern California. Called the Ikhana , NASA's UAV is used as a testbed both for airborne ground-survey technologies and for the air traffic control systems needed to fly unmanned vehicles in civilian airspace.
Drone Wars: The people who make drones happen
BOSTON — The first problem with drones is that we call them drones, said Adam Woodworth, an aircraft designer in Cambridge, Mass. The word “drone” conjures up images from “Terminator,” of robot automatons who turn on their human counterparts and kill them. Drones are to be feared. They suggest the apocalypse. We hear “Drone Wars,” and we think “Clone Wars.”
Little is known about the actual abilities of the WJ-600 drone or the more than two dozen other Chinese models that were on display at Zhuhai in November. But the speed at which they have been developed highlights how U.S. military successes with drones have changed strategic thinking worldwide and spurred a global rush for unmanned aircraft. More than 50 countries have purchased surveillance drones, and many have started in-country development programs for armed versions because no nation is exporting weaponized drones beyond a handful of sales between the United States and its closest allies. “This is the direction all aviation is going,” said Kenneth Anderson, a professor of law at American University who studies the legal questions surrounding the use of drones in warfare. “Everybody will wind up using this technology because it’s going to become the standard for many, many applications of what are now manned aircraft.”
Global race on to match U.S. drone capabilities - The Washington Post
DIY Drones
This week we adjusted the control surfaces on the Raptor to get it all balanced and flew it a few times to get more experience and test the airframe's performance. I've got to say, flying wings, and the Raptor specifically, have far exceeded my expectations... it flies great! Its very, very stable, has an excellent power to weight ratio that allows it to climb indefinitely, enough control surface and authority to allow a perfect…Perhaps the idea of spy drones already makes your nervous. Maybe you’re uncomfortable with the notion of an unblinking, robotic eye in the sky that can watch your every move. If so, you may want to click away now. Because if the Army has its way, drones won’t just be able to look at what you do.
Army Tracking Plan: Drones That Never Forget a Face | Danger Room | Wired.com
Almost a century after the first pilot-less plane was test launched from the back of a truck in the English village of Upavon, unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV), or drones, are smarter, more lethal ... and seeking new growth drivers. A leaner U.S. defence budget means there will be less scope for big defence programs, but drone makers are betting that a focus on intelligence gathering and risking fewer lives in combat will keep the market growing. “There’s a very large unmanned need for information gathering and communication relay,” said Tim Conver, Chief Executive of AeroVironment Inc., which is a leader in small UAVs with its popular Raven and Puma models. “We are committed to creating a business as a stratosphere satellite,” Mr. Conver told Reuters. Global spending on drones is forecast to nearly double in the next decade, growing to $11.3-billion a year – and suggesting a near-$95-billion market over the next 10 years, according to industry research firm Teal Group.