The Flight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - Case Study Example

Table of Contents: Introduction……………………………………………..………………….3 Uses of Unmanned Vehicles…………………………………………..3 Future Use of Unmanned Vehicles…………………………………8 Conclusion................................................................................…...8 Bibliography………………………………………………………………….9 Introduction: Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a term that is commonly used to refer to a drone. These are remotely piloted aircrafts that do not have a human pilot. The flight of unmanned aerial vehicle is always controlled by an onboard computer system, or a remote control of a human pilot who is on the ground. Brooks (2014) explains that the launch and recovery method of a drone is always conducted by a task of an external operator who is on the ground or an automatic system that is computerized. On a historic note, UAVs are aircrafts which are remotely controlled; however, autonomous control of the aircrafts is on an increase. Lubell and Derejko, (2013) explain that drones are always used for military purposes, and special operation applications which are always dangerous for individuals. Furthermore, Langelaan and Roy (2009) explain that drones are also used for purposes of fighting fire, policing, surveillance of pipeline systems, in agriculture, etc. Furthermore, UAVs are always preferred to be used in missions that are very dangerous and difficult for manned aircrafts to achieve. This paper is an evaluation of the current uses of the unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, this paper also examines the future use of the unmanned aerial vehicles. From this paper, we shall find out that the unmanned aerial vehicles are used both in the military and civilian operations. Uses of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Unmanned aerial vehicles have been used in military attacks, and mostly by United States of America. An example of drone that is always used for military attacks is the MQ-1 Predator. These drones are always fitted with Hellfire missiles, and are on most occasions used by the United States in hitting targets that they believe that terrorists are hiding in them. The use of drones for military purposes first began in the year 2001 (Nonami, Kendoul, Suzuki, Wang and Nakazawa, 2010). The United States used bases in Uzbekistan and Pakistan in attacking terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan. Since this year, the United States has used armed drones to attack terrorist hideouts in Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. Brooks (2014) explains that the main purpose of using armed drones by the US was based on the dangerous nature of the mission. Hodson (2013) explains that the argument was that a manned aircraft can be shot down, and hence create a diplomatic embarrassment. This is mainly because the attacks are always carried out in countries that have a friendly relationship with United States, and without their official permission. In 2002, the US denoted that they used the predator drones to kills an al-Qaeda linked terrorist who was hiding in Yemen. Lubell and Derejko, (2013) argue that by the year 2009, the CIA was able to use the drones to kill more half of the most wanted al-Qaeda terrorists. Furthermore, Brooks (2014) explains that by the 2010, the use of drone attacks in Pakistan had killed more than 500 suspected terrorists. Based on these facts therefore, drones have always been used for military attacks. The following graph depicts the number of drone attacks used by President Barrack Obama in Pakistan. The figures were obtained from a website managed by International Security (2014). Figures courtesy of (International security, 2014) . Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Number of drone attacks 52 122 73 48 27 3 From this graph, we can denote that the use of drone attacks against targets has declined significantly from the year 2010. In the year 2010, the US military used drones to a large extent in attacking their targets. It is important to denote that the use of drones for military attacks have had mixed support in the United States (Drake, 2014). Drake denotes that the republics approve more the use of drones as weapons. The following is a statistics showing the support of drones in United States (Drake, 2014). Approve Disapprove Democrats 58 26 Republicans 68 17 Independent 50 31 This information is given by Drake (2014). From this chart, we are able to find out that the use of drones for military purposes has a support in United States. Another use of unmanned aerial vehicle is for surveillance purposes. Drones are on most occasions used for purposes of collecting information, for commercial, civilian, as well as military use. For instance, drones have been used to collect information regarding hurricanes and storms. A good example of this initiative is the association between Northrop Grumman and National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration to conduct a 30 million dollars experiment aimed at using unmanned aerial vehicles to spy on storms, at instances when they emanate. The drones used are referred to as the Global Hawks, and they have the capability of flying for 11,000 miles, and staying in air for approximately 30 hours (Marks, 2012). These drones have the capability of staying in stormy areas, whereby the manned planes cannot stay. On this basis, the Global Hawks drones have helped to gather information concerning storms, and hence helping policy makers to have an idea on how to effectively fight these storms. The Global Hawk drones have been used to track tropical storms, through their long evolution processes. This has also helped in predicting their occurrences by weather forecasts, and hence saving lives and money used in repairing their effects. Drones are also used in gathering information concerning disaster areas, and hence helping relief workers on how to embark on a humanitarian mission. Drones have also been used to collect information about a countries enemy, and an example is the use of drones by the United States and Japan to monitor the nuclear activities of North Korea. Brooks (2014) explains that drones have the capability of surveying landscapes, mainly because they can produce many digital images that are possible to be stitched together by the use of a 3-D map. Drones are also used in the protection of wildlife. For instance, the Government of United States used drones on most occasions to protect its lands, and the various animals that reside in these lands. For instance, the bureau of land management has used Raven drones for purposes of monitoring wildlife population, for purposes of protecting them (Lubell and Derejko, 2013). Furthermore, these raven drones are used in monitoring wert lands, for effective management of these lands. The Geological Survey of the United States were able to mount a thermal imaging camera on a UAV for purposes of counting sand hill cranes in Colorado. Drones have also been used in Malaysia and Indonesia for purposes identifying animals, and their distribution. Hodson (2013) explains that unmanned aerial vehicles can also be used to identify changes in land such as deforestation. It is important to denote that deforestation plays a great role in threatening the existence of animal species in an ecosystem. Drones have also been used in fighting wildfires in Australia and United States (Lubell and Derejko, 2013). This is because they are able to be sent in areas where it would be dangerous for human beings to enter, and thus they can be fitted with fire fighting gadgets, to help in putting out the fire under consideration. Drones are also used in Agriculture, and Japan is the country that has mostly used these technologies in its agricultural production. In Japan, majority of the farmland are on a steep hillside. Farmers use the drone technology to treat huge acres of land that can be impossible to use a tractor in treating them (Langelaan and Roy, 2009). The most commonly used drone for agricultural purposes in Japan, is the Yamaha RMX. This UAV is used for purposes of monitoring the agricultural fields, and helping in increasing their yields. Furthermore, drones are used in the application of fertilizers, pesticides and water. This is because drones are used to identify the exact place where these resources are needed, and thus deliver them there. Hodson (2013) explains that drones have the capability of monitoring the nitrogen levels of a soil, and this is useful to farmers, as they will gain the capability of knowing the exact place that need these nutrients. It is also possible to impart drones with an infrared light camera. This would help in revealing the health of a plant, by reflecting the efficiency of the process of photosynthesis in the plant under consideration. This is useful information to the farmer, mainly because it would assist him in making a decision on the kind of nutrients to add in a soil (Langelaan and Roy, 2009). The following information reveals the number of registered UAVs in Japan between the year 1996 to 2002 (Nonami, Kendoul, Suzuki, Wang and Nakazawa, 2010). Year 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number of registered UAVs 822 992 1151 1284 1418 1565 1687 The information from this graph emanates from (Nonami, Kendoul, Suzuki, Wang and Nakazawa, 2010). By looking at this graphical figure, we can denote that the usage of drones in Japan is increasing steadily as the years advance. Future Uses: Brooks (2014) explains that one of the future uses of UAVs is on areas of search and rescue operations. The capability of drones to make these searches and rescue missions was demonstrated by the US in the 2008 hurricane that affected the states of Texas, and Louisiana. Micro drones like the Aeryon Scout have been used on some occasion to undertake a rescue and search activity for missing people on a small scale. In this hurricane, the US authorities used the Predator drones for purposes of collecting information regarding the whereabouts of people affected by the hurricane. These drones are sophisticated, and they have the capability of providing photographic images in rain, fog and clouds. It is therefore expected that the use of drones will be extensively used for mission and rescue functions in the near future (Zulaika, 2013). Other potential use of the UAV is the delivery of letters and food products to consumers. For instance, the effort of Tacocopter Company to use unmanned aerial vehicles for delivering food products in USA was blocked by the Federal Government. However, in future, drones would be used to deliver these types of substances. Furthermore, these drones could be used for purposes of delivering official documents such as passports and Government IDs. This would be made possible by use of an eye recognition system or fingerprint technology fitted in these gadgets. This was a plan initiated by the government of Saudi-Arabia in 2014 (Brooks, 2014). Conclusion: In conclusion, drones have been used for civilian and military use. In military use, drones have been mostly used by United States to kill targeted terrorists in countries such as Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. It is important to denote that despite their effectiveness in killing these terrorists, drones have always left civilian causalities in the process. This led to a widespread criticism of its use. Under civilian use, drones have been used in agriculture, monitoring of disaster areas, fighting of wildfires, and for surveillance purposes. In agriculture, a country such as Japan on most occasions uses drones to improve its agricultural production. This is because the agricultural fields of Japan have a steep slope, and on this basis, the best way of monitoring the fields is the use of drones. On the other hand, USA and Australia have used drones on most occasions to monitor their wildlife system. As drone technology continues to be advanced, these vehicles would likely be deployed in advance search and rescue missions, as well as the delivery of sensitive documents and products to people. Bibliography: Brooks, R. (2014). Drones and the International Rule of Law. Ethics & International Affairs, 28(01), 83-103. Drake, B. (n.d.). Obama and drone strikes: Support but questions at home, opposition abroad. Pew Research Center RSS. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/24/obama-and-drone-strikes-support-but- questions-at-home-opposition-abroad/ Hodson, H. (2013). Precision herbicide drones launch strikes on weeds. New Scientist, 219(2924), 19. International Security. (n.d.). Drone Wars, Pakistan Analysis. International Security. Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://securitydata.newamerica.net/drones/pakistan/analysis Langelaan, J. W., & Roy, N. (2009). Enabling New Missions For Robotic Aircraft. Science, 326(5960), 1642-1644. Lubell, N., & Derejko, N. (2013). A Global Battlefield?: Drones and the Geographical Scope of Armed Conflict. Journal of International Criminal Justice, 11(1), 65-88. Marks, P. (2012). Drones take to the skies. New Scientist, 2850, 20-221. Nonami, K., Kendoul, F., Suzuki, S., Wang, W., & Nakazawa, D. (2010). Autonomous Flying Robots Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Micro Aerial Vehicles. Tokyo: Springer Japan KK. Zulaika, J. (2013). Drones and fantasy in US counterterrorism. Journal for Cultural Research, 2, 1-17. Read More