What are UAVs?
A pilot-less aircraft or an UAV can simply be defined as an aircraft with no pilots on board. Speaking from a more technical angle, an UAV can be defined as a powered aerial vehicle sustained in flight by aerodynamic lift and guided without an onboard crew. It may be expendable or recoverable, and can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely. Un-Manned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Flying objects that are remote controlled from the ground control system. However, cruise missiles are often considered to be an UAV. A cruise missile is a guided missile, which uses a lifting wing and a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. However, certain modifications in the nomenclature of UAVs have made sure that objects like cruise missiles are considered a weapon and not an UAV. Hence, UAVs are also being referred as UAVS (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle System) or the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) while talking distinctly about pilot-less aircrafts. To view pictures of UAVs click here.
Unmanned aerial vehicles. They’re flying robots, in effect. They’re the Predators that people talk about, and there are smaller UAVs. For example the military is using man-packable UAVs. This is a flying robotic glider that is small enough to be carried on the back of a soldier and they can assemble it at the last moment, launch it and fly it out over the next hill to see what’s there. Well in the next war you’re going to see UAVs with the logo of CNN and the news services on it.
