Military Officer Attitudes Toward UAV Adoption Exploring Institutional Impediments to Innovation

摘要

The prospective introduction of large numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) arguably represents the most significant ongoing development in U.S. military aviation in decades. The inventory of large UAVs across all Services is projected to increase from 250 in late 2005 to over 1,400 by 2015. Moreover, more than 1,000 mini-UAVs and an undetermined number of even smaller micro-UAVs are projected to enter service during the same period. Until recently, it could be argued that immature technology and relatively poor operational performance made UAVs inferior to manned aircraft, even for th so- called dull, dirty, and dangerous missions. However, ongoing developments in computer control and long-range data links show great near-term promise for many types of UAVs to match, or even exceed, the effectiveness of manned aircraft in a number of roles. If so, the growing arsenals of UAVs will have the potential to take increasing numbers of aviators out of the cockpit.