3. Introduction
• UAVs were known by many different names,
such as robot plane, drone, pilotless aircraft,
and remotely piloted vehicle (RPV). The Federal
Aviation Administration implemented a generic
class name for them, Unmanned Aircraft
System (UAS), to indicate that these aircraft
systems also comprise a datalink, control
systems, ground control stations, and other
related support equipment. However, they are
generally known as UAVs.
4. Introduction (cont’d)
• An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), known as a
drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot.
• Drone stand for Dynamic Remotely Operated
Navigation Equipment.
• Its flight is either pre-defined or controlled
autonomously by a computer or under the
remote control of a pilot on the ground.
5. History
• The first unmanned aircraft systems
were balloons.
• The Montgolfier brothers were the first to
experiment with balloons in 1782.
• Ballons were used in both the American
Civil War of 1861- 1865 and in 1944 in hopes
of starting fires on enemy sides.
• In the 1950s, Project Gopher and Genetrix were
both forms of balloons used to spy on the Soviet
Union.
6. History (cont’d)
• The Aerial Steam Carriage was built in 1848 by
John Stringfellow and William Henson.
• This aircraft was a steam powered, propeller
driven
model aircraft with a 10 foot wingspan.
• The most successful steam carriage of the time
was built by Samuel
Langley in 1896.
He called it the
“Aerodrome Number 5.”
7. History (cont’d)
First Major American
Unmanned Aircraft System;
• The Kettering Bug, invented in
1918 by Charles Kettering, Orville Wright and
Elmer Sperry, was a cruise missile invented for the
American Army.
• It was a gasoline fueled,
propeller driven biplane that
flew on a preset course to
drop missiles on enemy lines.
• The bug had many successful
test runs but was never used
in combat.
8. History (cont’d)
First Major German
Unmanned Aircraft Systems;
• The “Henschel Hs 293” and
the “Fritz-X” were created
by the Germans and were
radio controlled glide bombs.
• Two Fritz-X bombs
successfully sunk the Italian
battleship Roma in 1943.
• The “Buzz Bomb” was a
German cruise missile,
flown in 944, that was ram jet powered and could
travel up to 400 mph.
9. History (cont’d)
• The 1950′s and 1960′s saw the advancement of
UAV mission parameters, propulsion and
guidance systems. The US Navy and Air Force
started programs to convert surplus aircraft
into target drones.
• The birth of U.S. UAVs began in 1959 when
United States Air Force officers were concerned
about losing pilots over hostile territory and
they thought of unmanned flights.
• In the year 1964, U.S Navy initiated America’s
highly classified ‘Red Wagon’ UAVs into their
first combat missions of the Vietnam war.
11. Classification
• Although most UAVs are fixed-wing aircraft,
rotorcraft designs are also used. UAVs typically
fall into one of six functional categories:
Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial
gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or
missile
Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence
Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk
missions
Logistics - UAVs specifically designed for cargo and
logistics operation
Research and Development - used to further develop
UAV technologies to be integrated into field deployed
UAV aircraft
Civil and Commercial - UAVs specifically designed for
civil and commercial applications
12. Classification (cont’d)
• They can also be categorized in terms of size /
range / altitude:
Category Range Altitude
Handheld about 2 km 2,000 ft (600 m)
Close up to 10 km 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
NATO type up to 50 km 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Tactical about 160 km 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
MALE over 200 km 30,000 ft (9,000 m)
HALE over 30,000 ft indefinite range
HYPERSONIC over 200 km 50,000 ft
(15,200 m)
13. Functions
• UAVs perform a wide variety of functions. The
majority of these functions are some form of
remote sensing; this is central to the
reconnaissance role most UAVs fulfill. Less
common UAV functions include interaction
and transport.
14. Functions (cont’d)
Remote Sensing
Transport
Scientific Research
Armed Attack
Search and Rescue
Sports
Disaster Relief
Agriculture
Land Survey and Environment
……
• The list of applications for UAVs keeps
growing.
15. Advantages
• Does not contain or need a qualified pilot on
board,
• Can enter environments that are dangerous to
human life,
• Reduces the exposure risk of the aircraft
operator,
• Performing visual or thermal imaging of region,
• Can be programmed to complete the mission
autonomously even when contact with its gas
is lost.
16. Diadvantages
• Can get hacked,
• Low resistance to weather,
• Cannot refuel in flight
• If connection is lost with the Ground Station,
the vehicle may be lost.
• Terrorist activities will increase drastically, if
the drone technology is exposed to wrong
people.
17. Regulations
• According to the regulations of Directorate
General of Civil Aviation, the UAV whose
maximum take-off mass (MTOM) is heavier
than 4 kg., maximum speed is faster than 50
km, and height above ground level (AGL) is less
than 100 mt. doesn’t require any licence.
