unmanned aerial vehicles

This article first appeared in Aviation Week's DTI. Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are effective battlefield surveillance platforms. But they suffer from limited battery power, which affects their range and their sensors' effectiveness, often making them expendable. A solution may lie in overhead power lines. A program by Defense Research Associates (DRA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) seeks to develop a small UAV that can land on a power line and recharge its battery by drawing energy from the cable.

In an age of talking CCTV cameras, electronic tagging and satellites monitoring our car journeys, it is perhaps the inevitable next step towards a Big Brother state. The Home Office is working on a fleet of pilotless spy drones which will fly above our towns and cities, quietly recording our every move while watching for terrorists and criminals. Ministers have confirmed that Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are expected to play a part in the fight against crime and terror, gathering intelligence and watching suspects from thousands of feet above the ground.