refers to a one-way lethal munition designed to strike
specific targets, while UAV refers to a reusable aircraft
that has the ability to perform a variety of missions.
There are three classes of UAVs: (i) pilotless target aircraft
that are used for training purposes (such as target
drones); (ii) nonlethal aircraft designed to gather intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data; and
(iii) unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) that are
designed to provide lethal ISR services.
UAVs have been around much longer than most
people realize. During World War I (WWI), both the
Navy and the Army experimented with aerial torpedoes
and flying bombs. Some of the most brilliant minds of
the day were called on to develop systems to be used
against U-boat bases and to break the stalemate caused
by nearly 4 years of trench warfare. Efforts consisted
of combining wood and fabric airframes with either
gyroscope or propeller revolution counters to carry payloads
of almost 200 pounds of explosives a distance of
approximately 40 miles. Hostilities ceased before either
could be fielded.1 These WWI UAVs highlighted two
operational problems: crews had difficulty launching
and recovering the UAVs, and they had difficulty stabilizing
them during flight. During the Interwar Period,
radio and improved aircraft engineering allowed UAV
developers to enhance their technologies, but most
efforts failed. Despite failures, limited development continued,
and after UAVs successfully performed as target
drones in naval exercises, efforts were renewed in radiocontrolled
weapons delivery platforms. World War II
(WWII) saw the continued use of target drones for antiair
gunnery practice. Additionally, radio-controlled
drones were used by both the Allied and Axis powers as
weapons delivery platforms and radio-controlled flying/
gliding bombs.
With the start of the Cold War, UAVs began to be
used as ISR systems, with limited success as weapons
delivery platforms. Development continued throughout
the Vietnam War, but interest soon waned once
hostilities ceased. The 1991 Gulf War renewed interest
in UAVs, and by the time the Balkans Conflict began,
military intelligence personnel were regularly incorporating
UAV ISR information into their analyses. Currently,
UAVs effectively provide users with real-time
ISR information. Additionally, if the ISR information
can be quickly understood and locations geo-registered,
UCAVs can be used to strike time-sensitive targets with
air-to-surface weapons.
Like many weapon systems, UAVs thrive when
the need is apparent; when there is no need, they fall
into disfavor. Numerous obstacles have hindered UAV
development. Oftentimes, technologies simply were not
mature enough for the UAVs to become operational.
Other times, lack of service cooperation led to failure.
For example, the U.S. Army Air Corps funded Project
Aphrodite (using B-17s as flying bombs) in WWII