Drones Are Changing And So Are Their Missions
Drones used to be used for missions that were too dirty, dull, and dangerous for humans. The military really got into drone use before science, agriculture, recreation, and commercial uses became popular. Today, civilian drones outnumber military drones. More than one million drones were sold in 2015. Multiple names are used for unmanned aerial vehicles, which generally refers to the same vehicles. The term drone is used by the public because the loud motor sounds of the old military unmanned aerial vehicles sounded like the sound of a male bee. Aviation groups and government regulators didn’t like the name drone, so the term unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was adopted by the United States Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense in 2005.
The term UAS emphasizes the other elements of the aircraft like the data links, ground control stations, and other support equipment. Similar terms like remotely piloted aircraft … Read more