Military Current and Future Use of UAVs

     The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for military applications is not new. The military has been using this technology in some shape or form beginning in the 19th century when Austrian forces launched balloons equipped with time-fused bombs against Italy. (Kantor, 2016) Even though the technology has advanced, the concept of using UAVs in the battlespace remains the same. Ask any soldier on the ground what their best friend is and they will answer "their weapon and battle buddy" followed closely by the "eye in the sky". The UAVs used today are so sophisticated that they can not only see over the next hill and farther, but can also be used to intercept and jam communications. They can also be armed with munitions and used as attack vehicles without putting soldiers in harms way.

    

     If you have watched any news since we went to war with Iraq, you are familiar with the usual suspects in the military UAV aresenal. These are the Predator and all its variants and the Reaper. The Predator, and its variants, are the "eye in the sky" over the battlespace. These UAVs are not usually armed with weapons, but with surveillance cameras and radio surveillance equipment and can fly safely above the danger below. This platform gives commanders abirds-eye view of the battlefield which gives them a heavy tactical advantage. The Reaper is smaller than the Predator, but is armed with munitions and can take out targets with out placing soldiers in danger. There are also smaller man-launched UAVs used by ground troops to surveille the battlefield that are less expensive to operate and give real-time information to the men and women on the ground.

     Since UAVs have been introduced to the battlefield, the face of warfare has changed. The Predator is the main reason for this. It was a Predator mission that located Osama Bin Laden in 200 (Bowden, 2013) Since then, the use of  both large and small UAVs have mitigated the risk to our troops on the ground. This means that troops can plan accordingly when completing their mission.

    

     As I stated previously, there are many uses for UAVs  on the battlefield. However, there are other uses that have come into being for the venerable UAV. One example of this is the Boeing MQ-25. The MQ-25 is a carrier-based UAV designed to carry out mid-air refueling missions which extend the flight times of F/A18, EA-18G, and the F35C. (Boeing, 2018) This MQ-25 is Boeing's latest addition to the military UAV arsenal. Another noteable UAV from Boeing is the Unmanned Little Bird H-6U helicopter. This full-sized helicopter, based on the AH-6 light attack/surveillance helicopter, that can perform search, resupply, and surveillance missions as well as perform communications relay functions. (Boeing, 2018)

     The United States is not the only country that has developed UAVs. Countries all over the world have, or are developing, Their own UAVs. The list of UAVs found at militaryfactory.com includes the United States, Great Britian, Germany, France, Russia, Austria, Romania, Belarus, Serbia, Turkey, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Korea, and Portugal. (Military Factory)

      The development of UAVs is not strictly for the military. There are some being developed for testing supersonic flight, some have been developed for use in air combat training, and some have been developed, or are being developed, for combat support roles. The future of UAV use for the military seems to have no end. As a member of the military, I personally am in favor of the use of UAVs. The fewer troops that have to be put directly in harms way, the better. 

References:

Kantor, Jonathon H. (August 27, 2016) Retrieved April 17, 2018 from https://www.listverse.com/2016/08/27/10-misconceptions-about-military-drones/

Boeing. Retrieved April 17, 2018 from https://www.boeing.com

Bowden, Mark. (November, 2013) Retrieved April 17, 2018 from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-predator-drone-changed-the-character-of-war-3794671/

Military Factory. (2018) Retrieve April 17, 2018 from https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/unmanned-aerial-vehicle-uav.asp