Until the 1990s, work on UAVs centered on production of flying targets for military aircraft, as well as decoys that could zigzag into a combat area ahead of manned fighters, to confuse the air defenses. Next in line are the spy UAVs and sometime in the future, the attack UAVs. After years of hemming and hawing, the Pentagon is moving ahead full speed with the Global Hawk, planning to build 63 by 2021. Ed Topps, chief of special projects for the Air Force. But we don't know if development will go ahead.
Developers hope to raise that to an hour.
An on-board radar sends live images back to a receiver, making it priceless to a company commander wondering what's ahead on the battlefield. AeroVironment also is working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on a pilotless craft called Helios, designed to fly for months at a time.