Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Unmanned aircraft systems have long held great promise for military operations, but technology has only recently matured enough to exploit that potential. Surveillance and missile-attack operations by unmanned aircraft systems have been well publicised throughout the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Department of Defense's 2012 plan calls for purchasing more of the existing unmanned aircraft systems for current operations, improving the systems already in service, and designing more-capable unmanned aircraft systems for the future. This book explores U.S. policy options and plans for expanding the fleet of medium-sized and large unmanned aircraft that are designed for reconnaissance and light attack missions with a focus on the force-wide capabilities and acquisition costs.