October 18, 2012

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Become Lighter, Faster




In the future, the military can expect to have unmanned aerial vehicles that are faster, stealthier and lighter, with longer endurance and can hold heavier payloads.

“[There will be] more focus on making systems that are stealthier, so they can’t be detected as easily by the enemies, [and] more autonomous so they can operate more on their own. So, if they lose [a] communication link with the headquarters, they can continue to do their mission,” said Phil Finnegan, director of corporate analysis at The Teal Group.

Future unmanned aircraft will also be more fuel efficient, Finnegan said.