No fewer than 44 other nations, from Israel to Austria, are developing their own squadrons of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The friendly skies may soon be getting crowded.The Pentagon's current fleet of killer and recon drones includes several craft with exotic names: The Predator -- one of only two major U.S. unmanned systems that carry weapons -- the Reaper, the Hunter and the Global Hawk. Made by General Atomics and Northrop Grumman, these planes are essential to current military operations.
Unmanned drones get more sophisticated with each generation -- faster, stronger, smarter. Here's the current crew of killer and recon drones, and a few from the future.
"The Reaper provides the best combination of lethality and persistence that's so valuable to commanders," said Gen. (Ret.) John P. Jumper, former Air Force Chief of Staff. "We've come a long way." But according to the Pentagon, the future promises even deadlier versions of these drones.
The Future of UAVs
The Phantom Ray, by Boeing, is a good example. This prototype jet-powered flying wing has morphed into a test bed for advanced UAV technologies, including electronic warfare tools like radar jamming, autonomous aerial refueling, air-missile defense and surveillance. Engineers expect it to fly as high as 7.5 miles straight up. And with an anticipated cruising speed of up to 610 mph, the Phantom Ray will be one of the fastest UAVs on record.
The Demon, under development at the BAE Systems laboratory in London, flies with no fins -- since the entire body of the craft is shaped like a wing. Dozens of thrusters situated on its top and bottom shape airflow, replacing the work typically done by tail fins and ailerons. On-board software varies the strength of each thruster to control pitch, side-to-side movement, or yaw, and roll.
The Vulture, by Lockheed Martin, is envisioned as a replacement for small, geostationary satellites, a UAV that can stay aloft for a stunning five years. Its suite of day-and-night cameras can scan a 600-mile swath, sending data back to handlers on the ground.
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