Advantages of UAVs

The advantages of using an Unmanned Air Vehicle, relative to use of a manned aircraft, are that the UAV:

• 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
• can stay in the air for up to 30 hours, performing a precise, repetitive raster scan of a region, day-after-day, night-after-night in complete darkness, or, in fog, under computer control:
  • performing a geological survey
  • performing visual or thermal imaging of a region
  • measuring cell phone, radio, or, TV coverage over any terrain
• can be programmed to complete the mission autonomously even when contact with its GCS is lost.