Air Force Report Envisions a Broader Use of Drones

Air Force Report Envisions a Broader Use of Drones – Christopher Drew, New York Times.

Small remotely piloted planes are now used mainly to gather intelligence and fire missiles at insurgents. But over the next several decades, the Air Force envisions building larger ones that could do the work of bombers and cargo planes and even tiny ones that could spy inside a room.

In a report released Thursday laying out a “flight plan” for developing pilotless systems, the Air Force also said it could eventually field swarms of drones to attack enemy targets. And it will have to be ready to defend against the same threat, which could become another inexpensive way for insurgents to attack American forces.

Col. Eric Mathewson, who directs the Air Force task force on pilotless aerial systems, said in an interview that the service sketched its vision to encourage contractors and university researchers to help create the technologies…

More at The New York Times.