Evolution of Unmanned Air Vehicles

By Maurizio Cheli and Fabio Ruta
22 Feb 2007

Maurizio Cheli, a former Italian Air Force test pilot and astronaut, is Chief Test Pilot for combat aircraft at Alenia Aeronautica. Fabio Ruta is an aerospace engineer and the manager of the UAV/UCAV programmes at Alenia Aeronautica. In this article, they consider the benefits and challenges of operating unmanned platforms.