A brief history of drones (part 1)

The word 'drone' can mean different things to different people. Depending on your life experience this word can provoke fear, anger, concern for civil liberties and also thoughts of entertainment and fun. A 'drone' is now the word given to describe any unmanned aerial vehicle, that is, an aircraft without a human controller aboard. Although we think of these vehicles as a modern phenomenon, drone use began a hundred years ago as a tool of the military. Obviously if a combat force is able to engage the enemy remotely, the cost of men and material is low. One of the first examples goes back to the mid-1800s Austria sent unmanned, bomb-filled balloons to attack Venice.

 

The drone as we know it today began with unmanned aerial units were developed and used for target practice to train military personnel. The use of unmanned vehicles has continued through most of the major wars in history all the way to present day.We now think of these military drones as Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) and have been a staple of the recent "War on Terror" and frequently deployed in the remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. While not a new concept, modern computer power, improved cameras, sensors, and extended range made UCAVs viable for intelligence gathering also, the deployment of military ordnance. Platforms like the Predator and Reaper (shown below) have been used extensively by the military since their inception in the 1990.

 

The use of these platforms for military purposes is a divisive issue. A poll in taken in February 2013 by the "Huffington Post.com" showed 56% of Americans support using drones to kill "high level terrorists," 13% support using drones to kill "anyone associated with terrorists," 16% thought no one should be killed with drones, and 15% were not sure. Outside America, support for military uses of drones is far lower. A Pew Research study of 20 countries in 2012 found widespread international opposition to the US using drone to eliminate military targets. It is unfortunately these military uses of drones still dominate the general public's consciousness. However, recently this has begun to change……..