UAVs' Gallantry Guarantees Their Future

Aisan Aerospace 2000 -- "Unmanned airborne vehicles are very willing to die for their country. We keep crashing them but we're getting better at it," a senior USAF officer at the show said yesterday.

This is a verbatim quote but in the context of answering a questioner at a media briefing it was clear he meant using and retrieving than crashing them.

Maj. Gen. Daniel Dick, commander of the US 13th Air Force based on Guam, agreed "absolutely" that unmanned aircraft will play an increasing role in future conflicts. They were used successfully in the Iraqi war and the Bosnia campaign, and were flown over Kosovo.

"I see them taking on more and more missions," the general said-beyond the photo reconnaissance for which they have been used so far. This could include electronic warfare and, "further downstream," even dropping bombs.

In air combat there was definitely an "unmanned future," the general said.

By Bob Rodwell