NOVA: US Military is Developing an Incredible Range of "Smart" Robotic Planes

So how does the military propose to fly these pilotless aircraft among
civil aircraft without causing a safety hazard?

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NEXT ON NOVA: "SPIES THAT FLY"

http://www.pbs.org/nova/spiesfly/

Broadcast: February 24, 2004
(NOVA airs Tuesdays on PBS at 8 p.m. Check your local listings as
dates and times may vary.)

The U.S. Air Force claims that unmanned aerial vehicles like the
Predator, a 50-foot-wingspan plane that flies by remote control,
have recently been successful at locating missile launchers and
tracking insurgents' movements in Iraq. These are the same UAVs that
helped eliminate terrorist threats in Yemen and Afghanistan. In the
wake of Predator's success, the military is developing an incredible
range of "smart" robotic planes, from flyers small enough to fit in
a pocket to soaring jets that fly halfway around the world. The next
generation of pilotless planes will be capable of far more than
aerial spying and in time may revolutionize the way we fight all
future wars. In "Spies That Fly," NOVA presents the latest hot
designs and reveals some newly declassified chapters from the
exciting history of airborne spying.

Here's what you'll find on the companion Web site:

Slide Show and Interview

Spy Photos That Made History
A surveillance image specialist examines photographs of Iraq,
North Korea, and other political hotspots.

Master of the Surveillance Image
Meet Dino Brugioni, formerly of the CIA, who analyzed the photos
that triggered the Cuban missile crisis.

Interactives

Timeline of UAVs
From Civil War hot-air balloons to today's miniature flying
robots, explore the history of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Imaging With Radar
See what synthetic aperture radar can "see" with this picture of
Washington, D.C., taken on a snowy winter's day.

http://www.pbs.org/nova/spiesfly/