Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

Unmanned air systems are rapidly developing as a capability that provides increasing utility and relevance within modern armed forces. This innovative use of technology is used primarily for military applications. The UK public exposure to such systems is limited. This lecture provides a rare opportunity to hear the senior MOD proponent of a significant defence capability. The lecture covers these key points: a brief historical perspective to highlight that the concept is not new; a focus on unmanned air systems used in current operations, highlighting the step change in utility being delivered now; examining two particular systems that demonstrate issues with enabling multi-sensor cueing on a single platform and the human factors that are associated with operating such systems at distances far beyond visual range; an exploration of the wider utility of such systems and where development is heading, looking forward to the next 25 years; and consideration of the potential limitations, the systems of systems concept and the increased utility of unmanned systems.