| Weapons
of War: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used to gather intelligence on enemy forces. They carry a wide variety of sensors and can transmit real-time or live data to commanders, fulfilling missions too dangerous for manned aircraft. Here are some of the more common UAVs in use. |
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| Primary role | ||||||
| Short-distance micro-air vehicle that transmits images via radio frequency to ground control unit. | Provides near real-time imagery of ground forces in both day and night. Intended to operate with additional Hunter UAVs. | High-resolution video, infrared and radar imagery in real-time via satellite. Laser can provide targeting for laser-guided bombs. | High altitude, long-range, fully automatic vehicle provides high-resolution imagery in real-time via satellite | |||
| Entered service | ||||||
| In testing | 1995 | 1994 | 1997 | |||
| Length | ||||||
| 6 inches | 23 feet | 26 feet 8 inches | 44 feet 5 inches | |||
| Wingspan | ||||||
| 6 inches | 29 feet | 48 feet 5 inches | 116 feet 2 inches | |||
| Speed | ||||||
| 43 mph | 122 mph | 138 mph | 397 mph | |||
| Max. altitude | ||||||
| 769 feet | 15,000 feet | 26,000 feet | 67,300 feet | |||
| Max. range | ||||||
| Less than 1 nautical mile | 144 nautical miles | 500 nautical miles | 3,000 nautical miles | |||
| Endurance | ||||||
| 30 minutes | 12 hours | 29 hours | 42 hours | |||
| SOURCES: Associated Press, Periscope; NASA; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | ||||||