Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Historical Perspective

Cover photo: A US Soldier from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, prepares to launch a " Raven " unmanned aerial vehicle to help conduct a cache search in the rural region of Zobam Iraq on October 4, 2006. The site has been historically known to hold countless hidden weapons caches. US Army photo by Specialist Daniel Herrera. CSI Press publications cover a variety of military history topics. The views expressed in this CSI Press publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, or the Department of Defense. A full list of CSI Press publications , many of them available for downloading, can be found at: official publication of the CSI. It is prohibited to use CSI's official seal on any republication of this material without the expressed written permission of the Director of CSI. 2009005812 iii Foreword In the Long War, formerly called the Global War on Terror, the armed forces of the United States have utilized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) extensively to support combat, security, and stability operations. The concept of unmanned flight is nothing new to the military. Experiments with pilotless aircraft began at the end of World War I. The historical development of these aircraft and the Army's long use of aerial platforms for reconnaissance provide valuable insight into the future possibilities and potential pitfalls of UAVs. Mr. John Blom's study describes the way that aircraft have been integrated into ground units since World War I. Mr. Blom traces this integration through World War II and the creation of an independent Air Force. In the ninety years since World War I, the quantity of aircraft organic to ground units has constantly expanded. In this period, many of the same debates between the Army and Air Force that continue today over UAVs first appeared. This study addresses past and current systems, and does not address systems under development. The technological development of UAVs possesses as deep a history as the Army's use of aircraft for aerial reconnaissance. Mr. Blom details the long development of UAVs that has led the military to where it is today. Understanding this past may provide clues into where this technology may be going, and what problems could lie ahead. We at the Combat Studies Institute (CSI) believe in our mission to support the warfighter with historical research relevant to their current …