Evolution of drones since the second world war

Going by this development, this essay will, therefore, aim at discussing the evolution of drones since the Second World War. However, to better understand this evolution, we shall embark on doing a brief history and background search for the drones. Brief History and Background A drone refers to an aircraft without any pilot or passenger on board. It is a computerized technology which is controlled from a designated location and is used to access areas perceived to be dangerous to human life1. Drones may come in two forms, i. Initially, drones were referred to as UAV and it is believed that the word drone came to be used for the very first time during this period with the release of DH.

82B Queen Bee drone model. Additionally, the USA developed and released radio-controlled drones that were to be used for training and target practicing missions. Reconnaissance drones were first used widely during the Vietnam War. Later on, the use of drones was expanded and included; launching missiles on fixed targets, dropping flyers for psychological actions, and acted as decoys in the combat fields. There have been discussions on the device's ethical consideration in instances where its use has resulted in the death of innocent civilians as a result of either inaccurate data being fed into it or inaccurate targets stations. The Evolution of Drones since the Second World War Before, during and even after the Second World War, there were various advancements in the drone technology which has since revolutionized the military and other activities.

The first drone to be used in military activities was known as OQ-2 Radioplane5. The period that marked post Second World War witnessed several advancements and evolution in the technology of the drones. For instance, the weapon was made more sophisticated and complex to adequately respond to the users' needs. However, the drone was after some time adopted by the military unit and got used in various search and rescue missions. One of the memorable instances, where this drone was used, was when the ScanEagle drone helped the US Navy Seals to save Richard Philips, an America's cargo ship captain which had been hijacked by the Somali militants or pirates in 2002. AeroVironment RQ-14 Dragon Eye This was another improvement on the drones technology and its discovery has since helped revolutionize the military operations.

The drone is very small and weighs less than three kilograms8. Additionally, the drone can comfortably fit in the soldier's backpack. Other than military activities and operations, K-MAX has been used for non-military activities such as firefighting missions. Thus, the development has further revolutionized the use of drones in not only military operations but also other activities which may be difficult to be carried out by human beings AirMule Drone AirMule drone is still in its development stages and is engineered by Israel's Urban Aeronautics of Yavne. By the time of its completion, the AirMule drone is expected to be the size of a Humvee. It is being designed and developed specifically to transport fuel, ammunition, and food to troops in the combat fields.

Additionally, the drone is expected to carry cargo up to a maximum of five hundred kilograms10. Experiments have shown that small sized-drones such as Dragon Eye can penetrate into the restricted areas where the terrorists could be hiding from with a lot of ease. Such drones, which have high-intensity inbuilt cameras and sensors can detect bombs long before they explored, thus being effective in bomb investigations and handling activities. After detecting, the drones also have the features to deal with the detected bombs adequately such as dismantling and dissembling the set-up bomb. Surveillance; due to the need to protect their people and borderlines, countries from time to time carry out surveillance operations to ensure they are safe from any internal or external attacks.

The improvised drones help in the surveillance missions by making it easy to locate the whereabouts of missing people and criminals who may be hiding from the law-enforcing authorities. The tracing and identification of such group of people will be made possible by the drone's special features which include; facial recognition through the drone's cameras13. Conclusion From these evolutions and advancement in drones’ technology, it can be concluded that drones will in the near future be helpful in resolving social conflicts and also, the technology will likely replace the human pilots. Drones present the world with various significances such as; being cost-effective, life-changing and also, time-saving. With negotiations and proper regulations still in the pipeline to release passenger drones, we can authoritatively state that drones will soon take the aviation industry by a storm.