Never send a human to do a droid's job. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, fly hundreds of dull, dirty, or dangerous missions for the US military each year, including surveillance and bombing missions over Afghanistan and Iraq. They don't get tired or scared, and many can stay aloft longer than manned planes. Plus, if the bad guys shoot one down, you've lost a $3 million Predator instead of a $15 million F-16 and its pilots. The Pentagon plans to spend $10 billion over the next seven years on a new fleet of UAVs that will be able to evacuate troops, fly alongside manned jets, even carry out civilian operations. Dozens of designs will vie for funding; here's a look at a few of the contenders.
Eagle Eye
Manufacturer:
Bell Helicopter Textron
Customer:
Coast Guard
Wingspan:
15 feet
Eagle Eye's tilt-wing rotors allow it to take off vertically from a cutter in some of the worst weather the Coast Guard will fly in. It can hover to drop survival gear, fly at up to 250 mph, and land autonomously by tapping into shipboard systems for info about the pitch and roll of the deck.
Dragon Eye
Manufacturer:
BAI Aerosystems, AeroVironment
Customer:
Marine Corps
Wingspan:
4 feet
Marines deployed in Iraq were so pleased with early versions of this 5-pound, compact twin-engine electric plane that the Corps plans to buy nearly a thousand. It fits in a backpack, launches from a bungee-cord slingshot, and beams recon information back to a soldier's laptop or goggles.
SeaScan
Manufacturer:
Insitu Group
Customers:
Commercial fishermen
Wingspan:
9 feet
Seascan uses a videocamera to suss out schools of fish for commercial boats - and to conduct search and rescue operations. The plane can stay aloft for 15 hours without refueling, and it lands by hooking onto a rope on a boat. Fishermen love the idea; Seascan goes into production this year.
GoldenEye
Manufacturer:
Aurora Flight Sciences
Customer:
US Army (prospective)
Wingspan:
10 feet
GoldenEye's ducted fan design allows it to change direction and speed by adjusting various sets of control vanes. Because the rotor blades aren't exposed, this UAV can fly near people, trees, and buildings - perfect for street-level urban warfare ops like detecting chemical weapons.
Neptune
Manufacturer:
DRS Unmanned Technologies
Customer:
Navy Special Forces
Wingspan:
7 feet
Launched from a shipboard pneumatic cannon, Neptune flies higher and longer than many other small UAVs - at 8,000 feet for about four hours. Neptune can carry a 15-pound camera, and it lands by skidding on water or turf.
X-47
Manufacturer:
Northrop Grumman, Scaled Composites
Customers:
Darpa, Navy
Wingspan:
28 feet
While UAVs like Predator have been jury-rigged to carry weapons, the X-47 is designed to deploy them. These planes might be used to knock out an enemy's air defenses or operate as robot wingmen. The Navy wants a version that would be able to take off from an aircraft carrier's deck.
WASP
Manufacturer:
Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
Customers:
Air Force, Army
Wingspan:
4 feet
Still in the concept stage, the wide area surveillance projectile - a cross between an artillery shell and a drone - would help gunners aim. After the WASP is fired from a 6-inch artillery gun, a pair of wings pops out. It circles a target, sending back coordinates to soldiers ready with live ammo.
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