The Wars of the Future to be Fought by UAVs?

The global unmanned aerial vehicles market, worth an estimated $7.1 billion this year, is expected to grow by 4 percent over the next 10 years, reaching $10.5 billion in 2021, according to a new report from DefenceWeb.

According to Strategic Defence Intelligence, the 4.08 percent compound annual growth rate for the UAV market will be driven by internal and external security threats, modernization initiatives and territorial disputes. The result? A UAV market that will be worth $91.7 billion between now and 2021.

The report found that North American and European countries will spend most on UAVs, while the global market will be dominated by American manufacturers, although Europe’s market share is predicted to increase. Strategic Defence Intelligence predicts that largest growth will come from the Asia-Pacific region, primarily due to its tense security environment. China and India, for example, are pushing ahead with the development of indigenous UAVs.

The United States, the biggest UAV market in the world, will account for a whopping 69 percent of procurement over the next decade, according to the press release.

"The UAV market will continue to be strong despite cuts in defence spending," Philip Finnegan, Teal Group's director of corporate analysis, said in a statement. "UAVs have proved their value in Iraq and Afghanistan and will be a high priority for militaries in the United States and worldwide."

The global economic slowdown has reduced military expenditure worldwide, as a consequence of which a significant number of countries are establishing joint projects to share R&D costs. Partnerships between defense firms have also increased, as a significant number of countries are investing in the development of their domestic UAV industries by establishing strategic alliances and technology-transfer agreements with global UAV manufacturers, Strategic Defence Intelligence notes.

Due to emerging technologies and changing environments, UAV manufacturers are investing in new UAV technologies, particularly stealth. Demand for solar powered UAVs has increased as they offer improved endurance and reduced maintenance costs.

Mexican Surveillance Drone Crashes in Texas

A mysterious unmanned aerial drone that is owned by the Mexican government crashed into an El Paso, Texas, resident's backyard this week, raising questions about why the surveillance craft had entered U.S. airspace.

Local Border Patrol agents recovered the UAV and returned it to the Mexican government. Officials wouldn't speculate on the UAV's mission, but the National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident. 

According to ABC News: 

The device, identified as a "mini orbiter UAV," is a wing-shaped aircraft that can fly stealthly at altitudes up to 18,000 feet and remain in the air three to four hours. The drones can typically be operated by a single individual.

"I don't think there's any cause of concern at all for national security," said Vincent Perez, spokesman for Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol-El Paso sector and chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. "These are the types of things that happen when you live in a border community. ... This just shows that Mexico is trying to get tough with new technology."

Mini UAVs Get Even Smarter

Researchers at the University of Tubingen in Germany have developed a miniature unmanned aerial vehicle that can automatically take off from, track and land on a moving carrier vehicle.

Using simple consumer hardware—including a Wii remote infrared camera—the UAV tracks the pattern of four LEDs on the carrier vehicle. It detects its position and orientation by gauging the distortion in the camera image.

The result is an amazingly intelligent—and yet deceptively simple—artificially intelligent mini-helicopter that can always find its way home.

U.S. Military Plans to Upgrade Black Hawk Helicopter to Fly Unmanned by End of Year

The U.S. military is exploring more uses for unmanned systems for surveillance, signals intelligence, precision target designation, mine detection, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear reconnaissance. According to "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap," as of October 2008, unmanned aircraft systems (hand-launched systems) have flown almost 500,000 flight hours, unmanned ground vehicles have conducted more than 30,000 missions, detecting and/or neutralizing over 15,000 improvised explosive devices and unmanned maritime systems have provided security to ports.

The Army wants to upgrade its helicopters -- namely the AH-64D Apache Longbow, the CH-47F Chinook and UH-60M Black Hawk -- to be optionally manned. The goal is to fly the UH-60M Black Hawk unmanned by the end of the year.

The Department of Defense estimates by 2025, half of all Army aircraft will be Optionally Piloted Vehicles.

‘Perching’ Aerial Drones Perfect for Discreet Surveillance

Researchers at my alma mater have developed small unmanned aerial vehicles that can land on—and take off from—both sloped and vertical surfaces. When the drone identifies a landing site, it turns toward the wall, stalls itself and attaches its animal-like feet on the surface.

The vehicle can hang like a bat for days at a time, monitoring an area and consuming very little power. Its propeller and limbs can be used to creep along a wall or reorient as needed, and its two spines help it resist strong winds.

Now, it’s only a matter of time before someone combines these perching capabilities with RoboSwift, the bird-like micro airplane.