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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

© Patrick Worden

The 20th century was a time of unprecedented technological development. One area of technology in particular—aviation—has been emblematic of 20th century advancement; the century’s dawn saw the birth of heavier-than-air powered flight, while the close of the age is a time of space flight and next-generation jet propulsion.

Armed conflict, regrettably, seems to be the major impetus for innovation in flight. Each major conflict since the days of Kitty Hawk has wrought vast changes in how war is waged from the air. Even now, as we greet both a new century and a new millennium, this strange, horrible and fascinating pattern continues.

America’s latest conflict, the Afghanistan Campaign, has been called repeatedly “a different kind of war.” This description holds true for the war fought from the skies. Although many of the airborne platforms operating above Afghanistan date from decades past—notably Boeing’s indomitable B-52—there is one advancement in military aviation to be found in that theater that is gaining notice far and wide. It is a likely to be both a technical advancement, and a harbinger of things to come. It is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

To be sure, UAVs are far from new. Early versions saw wide service in the desert campaigns of the early 1990s. More recently, models of the hardy Predator Medium Altitutude Endurance (MAE) UAV have served as reliable surveillance and aerial spotting platforms as far afield as Kosovo, Hungary and Albania. Indeed, the UAV’s role as airborne eyes and ears is assured for the foreseeable future; in Afghanistan both the Predator and its newer cousin, the high-altitude Global Hawk have consistently returned incredibly valuable intelligence at almost no risk to Allied lives. But the UAV has found a new role in Afghanistan which all but alters the landscape of military aviation for all time. For the UAV has now become an offensive weapon.

It was only this past February, at China Lake in California, that a modified Predator first took to the sky bristling with armament. A retrofitted Predator, outfitted with dual Hellfire missiles and a laser targeting package, easily blew the tread off a tank that was well beyond the line of sight of the Predator’s ground operator, several kilometers away. This live-fire test, the brainchild of USAF General John P. Jumper, proved to be prophetic. Just seven months later, when America was unexpectedly attacked and forced to war, this remarkable innovation became a new hallmark for a nation known for its innovations.

Predator Medium Altitude UAV

Global Hawk High Altitude UAV

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