Drone Safety
Drones were made so that humans would not have to endanger themselves. With this idea, the drone was made to be small, versatile and capable of any mission. They were efficiently made to "...linger over a site to investigate potential threats, thus keeping soldiers from harm" (P. W. Singer Military History magazine). Since the first drones were merely flying bombs, they did not need much maintenance. Nowadays, however, they are "...high-tech reconnaissance and attack platforms that undertake missions have revolutionized too long or too dangerous for human pilots" (Singer).
Drone safety of the Past
Drones of the past were merely flying missiles or bombs, designed to destroy enemy ships or even other planes. They were most effective against large ships, particularly large, bulky battleships. The ships of World War I were unaccustomed to shooting small, fast targets that flew in a straight line towards them. Clearly, the safety of a fleet could be determined by small aircraft that were designed to slam into enemy warships.
World War II through the Cold War
Because drones are far more expendable than human pilots, the Navy ordered the first productions of the first assault drones in March 1942. The Navy had a vision for an extremely large drone fleet, which consisted of over a dozen attack drone squadrons, over 160 TBF Avenger control planes, and 1,000 assault drones. During the Vietnam War UAVs "...flew thousands of of spy missions too hazardous for manned reconnaissance aircraft"(Zaloga 04).
Drone safety of the Future
Missiles have become a dangerous weapon to the aircraft that fly recon missions. These missiles could kill the pilot or force him to eject into enemy territory. Neither of these options are desirable to either the pilot nor the US military. Thus, an increase in drone programs would lessen the need to risk a human's life for a simple piece of information such as: how many enemy troops are there, do they have anti-infantry/anti-tank/anti-aircraft weapons on site?
Although UAVs are ultimately machines designed to go behind enemy lines and obtain valuable "intel", the real advantages are the low costs, the high quality, and the virtually no-casualty(death) rate. The more a UAV drone is utilized, the more they are realized to be an effective and safe aircraft system.
Although UAVs are ultimately machines designed to go behind enemy lines and obtain valuable "intel", the real advantages are the low costs, the high quality, and the virtually no-casualty(death) rate. The more a UAV drone is utilized, the more they are realized to be an effective and safe aircraft system.