Revolution or evolution? The rise of the UAVs

Less than fifteen years after Orville Wright took flight in December of 1903, the army signal corps flew its first unmanned air (or aerial) vehicle (UAV): the Kettering Bug flying bomb. Since UAV are often included in the ongoing revolution in military affairs, they are seen as a new concept, created for the age of "information warfare" and "net-centric operations". Many identity changes over the course of almost a century contribute to this impression, so this paper lays out a history of pilotless aircraft in the United States military to put current developments in a context that stretches back to the beginning of powered flight. Certain aspects of UAV operations, like reconnaissance platforms that fit in a backpack, are new and possibly revolutionary. They will be included here along with those items that are derived from previous incarnations of autonomous aircraft. By examining the history of UAV development we can identify which aspects of this technology fall under existing paradigms, and which are revolutionary enough that more attention is warranted. Common assertions about the consequences of employing larger numbers of UAV in combat are also explored as examples of applying the historical trend to current issues.