Links in the Unmanned Aerial System World
Where you find interesting links for many of your unmanned aerial needs.
UnManned Aerial Systems
An Unmanned Aerial System consists of the air vehicle, sensors/payloads, command and control datalinks, the operator station, as well as the ground support equipment required for launch/recovery, operations, and maintenance. There have been a host of names and terms for aircraft that do not have any pilots: drones, pilotless aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles are some of the terms that have been previously used. The earliest operational unmanned aircraft were actually guided weapons – The WWII German V-bombs being just an example. Pilotless aircraft were tested during WWII, but the state of technology at the time did not support a useful operational mission for them. “Drone” was the term applied to guided missile-like air vehicles used as targets to simulate aircraft or enemy missiles. As autopilot and navigation technology advanced, the use of unmanned aircraft became more prevalent. The use of unmanned aircraft in the field of Intelligence gathering, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance (ISR) has resulted in the addition of sophisticated payloads to the unmanned aerial vehicles. Combined with command and control capability and a means for transmitting data/video from the vehicle, the latest generation of unmanned aircraft are termed Unmanned Aerial Systems. Varying in size from a few ounces to the size of an airliner, Unmanned Aerial Systems are fulfilling a variety of missions beyond ISR.
