UAV Reform

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are not new to the battlefield. This technology has been around since the early 90’s. Earlier in its lifetime, these aerial drones have primarily played the role of surveillance or reconnaissance. These small, lightweight planes are able to stay in there air for extended periods of time. These traits make them perfect for scouting missions and are ideal when the military needs to gather more information about an area or a specific target.

Only within the last 10 years has the Air Force decided to strap 2 hellfire missiles onto the wings of its primary drone, the MQ-1 Predator. As the Air Fore saw it, there was no need to have a drone scout-out a target and then have a manned jet or ground personnel risk their lives to destroy it. It is much more efficient to enable the drone to take the target out itself, thus saving time, resources, and potential casualties. This new use for the Predator UAV became standard and the preferred method of destroying targets. UAV technology soon found itself on the fast track to military production and use.

As these drones were rushed into combat, major problems began to develop. Many of the pilots of these vehicles had not undergone proper flight training in order to fly correctly and without complications. There have been 79 accidents between 2005 and 2010, primarily due to pilot error. One such incident happened as a pilot mistook the landing gear switch for the engine “kill switch.” Instead of a routine landing, the plane was damaged beyond repair. In addition to these accidents, many innocent civilians have died as a result of poor planning and the explosive shrapnel of the missiles. An estimated 50 civilians are killed for every insurgent that is taken out.

In light of all that has transpired with these aircraft, we should not continue to put little effort in the training and design of these aircraft. Millions of dollars and thousands of lives has been the price of a rushed production. The United States Air Force needs to step up to the plate and take responsibility for what has happened. A reformation of the UAV program needs to take place that will not only effectively train drone pilots, but also increase the accuracy of its missiles and lower the blast force that could potentially kill innocent bystanders. This Air Force blunder has gone on for too long.

Cause and Effect

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are relatively new to the battlefield. Because of this, the training required for a soldier to pilot these vehicles is very basic. The time it takes to be "certified" to fly these aircraft is vastly smaller than Manned Aircraft. This aircraft and of the "cockpit" that the pilot flies it from is also relatively crudely designed with some major flaws only now becoming apparent.

Due to these before mentioned problems, these aircraft has a lot of obstacles to overcome. Numerous crashes and accidents involving these aircraft have been reported. Most of these accidents are due to pilot error which is mostly caused from insufficient flight training. Some of these accident, however, are due to major design flaws. One case in particular is that the "kill switch" and the landing gear switch were positioned right next to each other and a pilot mistook one for the other. The result was a catastrophic crash instead of a routine landing. I submit that these problems need to be addressed and fixed before the UAV can indefinitely claim air dominance in todays wars.