The Manned UAV: Where is the Revolution Headed

Abstract

Where is the UAV revolution headed? One possibility is that it's not about manned versus unmanned, but about degrees of autonomy. Highly automated systems will put a wide range of new aircraft types into the National Airspace System, controlled by operators with a wide range of skills and experience. A step on this road is the "optionally piloted aircraft", some of which are flying today. This talk will review recent progress in unmanned air vehicles, examine some of the challenges of integrating robotic systems in the NAS, and explore the future potential of OPAs.