YOU'VE RECENTLY seen field use in Afghanistan and associated publicity of numerous Department of Defense developments that combine advanced technologies and battlefield integration. These developments include advanced capabilities and extensive use of UAVs (unmanned/unpiloted aerial vehicles) for investigation, observation, long-distance reconnaissance, and remotely guided attacks. Two such UAVs, the Predator and the Global Hawk, differ in their missions, designs, autonomy, and capabilities, yet both show how advances in technology, extensive adaptation of commercially available subsystems, and carefully integrated system design can produce advanced products (Reference 1).
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