Drone (Unmanned aerial vehicle)

The term "drone" can be used to refer to many types of uncrewed vehicles, but has become most closely associated with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The precise definition of "UAV" itself can also vary between sources, but broadly means a powered aircraft with no humans on board. A UAV may operate autonomously, under remote control, or in some combination of the two. Other terms, such as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), may also be used to indicate specific subtypes of UAVs or to encompass both the drone aircraft and the relevant ground control system.

The development of uncrewed aircraft has a long history, but most observers consider the modern concept of UAVs to have emerged with technological advances in the late twentieth century. UAVs were pioneered as military technology, and drones often remain closely associated with reconnaissance and combat applications. However, commercial and consumer markets for UAVs also grew in the early twenty-first century, and drones have been used for a wide range of purposes, including scientific research, aerial photography, package delivery, and recreation. The size and design of UAVs varies widely, from tiny helicopter toys to sophisticated fixed-wing military aircraft as big as crewed airplanes.

Drones have been hailed for making many kinds of aerial missions less expensive and less dangerous for human operators. However, they have also attracted much controversy. Some observers question the ethics of drone strikes in military combat, and especially attacks by fully autonomous UAVs. Experts have also raised safety, security, and privacy concerns around the widespread availability of commercial UAVs. Authorities around the world, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, have worked to regulate UAVs for aviation safety purposes.

History

Experiments with uncrewed aircraft date to at least the nineteenth century, and, as with aerospace technology in general, advances were often driven by military campaigns. For example, Austria used balloons loaded with explosives in 1849 to attack Venice, with mixed results. More direct forerunners of modern, powered drones emerged around World War I. One notable example was the US Navy’s flying bomb, a propeller-driven biplane guided using a gyroscope and altimeter that could, in theory, travel fifty miles on a preset course. However, these pilotless planes, launched by catapult, were not refined in time for active duty. After World War I, radio-controlled airplanes were developed for target practice in Great Britain and the United States, and the word "drone" began to be used in this context.

Early UAVs continued to be developed during World War II. For instance, the US Navy’s Operation Anvil used remote-controlled B-24 bombers to bomb targets in Germany and France, though many crashed or prematurely exploded. Germany developed the first guided cruise missile, the V-1 flying bomb, sometimes considered proto-drones. The use of target drones also expanded during and after the war. Success with these systems, including jet-powered aircraft like the Ryan Firebee used by the US military, subsequently informed experiments with reconnaissance drones during the Cold War. American drones flew numerous reconnaissance missions in the Vietnam War, while Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and eventually some other countries also explored UAV technology.

Further technological advancements facilitated Israeli use of drones to down Syrian planes in the Lebanese civil war (1982). This in turn helped drive additional military interest and investment in UAVs. Modern military drones were deployed by the US in the first Gulf War and became increasingly sophisticated through the 1990s as computer and other electronic systems steadily improved. The US-led War on Terror, including the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, heralded a new era of drone warfare, with UAVs such as the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper capable of both reconnaissance and combat missions. Later conflicts such as the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Russia-Ukraine war that began in 2022 were noted for their heavy use of drones.

The steady proliferation of military UAVs in the early twenty-first century was paralleled by rapid growth of a civilian drone sector. While hobbyist radio-controlled aircraft had existed for decades, usually modeled after traditional airplanes or helicopters, improving technology and declining costs brought a wider array of designs and more widespread popularity. By the mid-2010s, the consumer drone market included everything from toys to sophisticated multi-rotor craft. The availability and capability of such UAVs made them popular for many uses, from recreational flying and racing to aerial photography to environmental research. Companies also began to experiment with drones for commercial applications such as delivery service and agricultural tasks.

Issues

The use of UAVs has generated both enthusiasm and controversy. Proponents argue that drone technology provides a cost-effective way to achieve objectives in many sectors. Perhaps most notably, in military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other dangerous applications, UAVs can minimize risk to human personnel while improving chances of mission success. Drones have also been touted for greatly reducing costs and increasing efficiency in other areas, such as environmental monitoring and surveying. Consumer-oriented drones provide easier access to aerial photography and other creative uses of aircraft.

Critics of drones raise many concerns, however. Many observers have particularly questioned the ethics of UAV use in combat missions, suggesting that when human operators are so distanced from their targets—or even completely absent in favor of autonomous programming—there is greater risk of inappropriate action and desensitization to violence. Instances of US military drone strikes causing civilian casualties or occurring outside of official war zones often attracted scandal. The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in UAV systems also generated additional scrutiny and public mistrust. Another concern is that drone operators may face burnout as they work longer hours, and they can also face unique forms of operational stress (likened to post-traumatic stress).

In addition to military-specific UAVs, commercially available drones have also generated controversy. Critics have noted that increasingly sophisticated and inexpensive consumer models can easily be used for illicit purposes, from terrorist attacks to smuggling to spying. Experts have also raised concerns that commercial UAVs could be vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. Even small consumer drones flown by hobbyists for fun can pose a threat to other aircraft or cause other disruptions by trespassing into sensitive areas.

In response to such issues, authorities in many countries have sought to regulate commercial drone technology and flight traffic. For example, in the 2010s, globally influential aviation regulatory bodies including the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) worked to establish UAV classification and licensing programs and to define rules about issues such as operating height limits and operators maintaining visual line of sight with their UAV. In 2021, both the FAA and EASA significantly strengthened regulations on commercial drones. Notably, the FAA's Remote ID rule required that all UAVs large enough to be registered (weighing over 0.55 pounds) wirelessly broadcast identification information unless operating in an FAA-recognized identification area.

Bibliography

"A Brief History of Drones." Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-brief-history-of-drones. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Crilly, Rob. "Drones First Used in 1848." The Telegraph, 20 June 2011, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/8586782/Drones-first-used-in-1848.html. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

Dillow, Clay. "FAA Issues Blanket Approval for Commercial Drone Use below 200 Feet." Fortune, 24 Mar. 2015, fortune.com/2015/03/24/faa-commercial-drone-approval/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

"Drones." Federal Aviation Administration, www.faa.gov/uas. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Dussault, Joseph. "7 Commercial Uses for Drones." Boston.com, 14 Mar. 2014, www.boston.com/news/business/2014/03/14/7-commercial-uses-for-drones. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

Hudson, John, and Kostiantyn Khudov. "The War in Ukraine is Spurring a Revolution in Drone Warfare Using AI." The Washington Post, 26 Jul. 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/26/drones-ai-ukraine-war-innovation/. Accessed 1 Aug. 2023.

Piesing, Mark. "The Secret History of Drones." National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian, 23 Sept. 2024, airandspace.si.edu/air-and-space-quarterly/issue-12/secret-history-of-drones. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Rosen, Jonathan W. "Zipline's Ambitious Medical Drone Delivery in Africa." MIT Technology Review, July–Aug. 2017, www.technologyreview.com/s/608034/blood-from-the-sky-ziplines-ambitious-medical-drone-delivery-in-africa/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

Sifton, John. "A Brief History of Drones." The Nation, 7 Feb. 2012, www.thenation.com/article/archive/brief-history-drones/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Singer, Peter W. "The Predator Comes Home: A Primer on Domestic Drones, Their Huge Business Opportunities, and Their Deep Political, Moral, and Legal Challenges." Brookings, 8 Mar. 2013, www.brookings.edu/research/the-predator-comes-home-a-primer-on-domestic-drones-their-huge-business-opportunities-and-their-deep-political-moral-and-legal-challenges/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

Stamp, Jimmy. "Unmanned Drones Have Been Around Since World War I." Smithsonian, 12 Feb. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/unmanned-drones-have-been-around-since-world-war-i-16055939/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2017.

Thompson, Jennifer. "Drones Transform Working Lives." Financial Times, 23 May 2017, www.ft.com/content/4c765b96-b30f-11e6-9c37-5787335499a0. Accessed 23 May 2017.

"Time Line of UAVs." NOVA, PBS, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/spiesfly/uavs.html. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

"Understanding Drones." Friends Committee on National Legislation, 27 Oct. 2021, www.fcnl.org/updates/2021-10/understanding-drones. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

"World of Drones." New America, www.newamerica.org/in-depth/world-of-drones. Accessed 23 May 2017.