Breaking the drone myth

Air Power Association President, Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell CB, CBE examines the growing importance of unmanned aircraft systems, a much-misunderstood part of modern warfare.

COLUMN

Commander’s Update Briefing

A soldier watches a Tarantula Hawk micro RPAS hover over the desert in Afghanistan. The British Army’s Talisman force used this vertical take-off drone in Afghanistan to scout the routes ahead of convoys and check for roadside bombs.

Crown Copyright

LAST MONTH I explained why the F-35 is such an important aircraft for the future delivery of air power. But as controversial as that aircraft might be in some eyes, it is probably not subject to such heated debate as operations by unmanned aircraft systems (or UAS), or, as they are more commonly known: ‘drones’. They make the news for all sorts of reasons and they are becoming more commonplace in the commercial, civilian and military sectors. Their proliferation in general use is something that will increasingly warrant attention, but I will keep my observations here to their military application.