Armed, autonomous, and unmanned

UAVs come of age as the 21st century surveillance platform.

Novel combinations of miniaturized systems, surveillance payloads, stealth, weaponry, data link transmission, and autonomous and collaborative operations are leading to the introduction of UAVs not even envisioned a decade ago.

“There's been an operational door that's opened,” said Gregory Catrambone, who directs U.S. Navy UAV programs as Deputy Program Executive Officer for Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation at the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, MD. “The more you use them, the more you discover, and the more you discover, the broader the use.”