Drones are used in situations where manned flight is considered too risky or difficult. They provide troops with a 24-hour “eye in the sky”, seven days a week. Each aircraft can stay aloft for up to 17 hours at a time, loitering over an area and sending back real-time imagery of activities on the ground.
Those used by the United States Air Force and Royal Air Force range from small intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance craft, some light enough to be launched by hand, to medium-sized armed drones and large spy planes.
Although the US does not routinely speak publicly about operations involving drones, President Obama has confirmed that they regularly strike suspected militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
The use of such unmanned aircraft in the area began under President George W Bush, but their use has more than doubled under the Obama administration.
Drones are seen by many in the military as delivering precision strikes without the need for more intrusive military action. However, they are not without controversy.
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