U.S. Drones Crowd Iraq's Skies to Fight Insurgents

The New York Times article: (registration required.)

"In the skies over Iraq, the number of remotely piloted aircraft - increasingly crucial tools in tracking insurgents, foiling roadside bombings, protecting convoys and launching missile attacks - has shot up to more than 700 now from just a handful four years ago, military officials say.

"As the American military continues to shift its emphasis to counterinsurgency and antiterrorism missions, the aircraft are in such demand that the Pentagon is poised to spend more than $13 billion on them through the end of the decade."

The article is interesting per se, but it is also suggestive of the potential for small, cheap, remotely controlled aircraft to be used in development programs in the future. For example, "the 4.5-pound Ravens that patrol 100 feet off the ground". These might be used for local remote sensing. Larger vehicles that can stay aloft at 10,000 feet for 24 hours at a time might contribute to mapping and environmental monitoring.