The military use of UAVs in recent conflicts such as Iraq (2003), Afghanistan (2001), andKosovo (1999) has opened the eyes of many to the advantages and disadvantages provided byunmanned aircraft. UAVs regularly make national headlines as they are used to perform taskshistorically performed by manned aircraft. UAVs are thought to offer two main advantages overmanned aircraft: they eliminate the risk to a pilot's life, and their aeronautical capabilities, such asendurance, are not bound by human limitations. There are currently five major UAVs in theU.S. inventory: the Navy and Marine Corps's Pioneer, the Air Force's Global Hawk and Predator,and the Army's Hunter and Shadow UAVs. Reflecting a growing awareness and support in Congress for UAVs, investment in unmannedaerial vehicles has increased annually. (6) The scope of Congress'ssupport and confidence in UAV technology can be gleaned from a prediction in the reportaccompanying the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001, which stated that,"Within ten years, one-third of U.S. military operational deep strike aircraft will be unmanned." (7) 

	Congressional Considerations

In recent years, the pace of UAV development has accelerated, and the scope of UAVmissions and applications has expanded. The defining characteristic of UAVs is that they are "unmanned." Industrial base issues also need to be considered. Those who argue that UAVs will replace manned aircraft in the future are notas concerned with the industrial base issue as those who feel manned aircraft will still be needed tocombat future threats. UAV programs range from the combat tested -- Pioneer, Hunter, Predator and Global Hawk-- to the not yet tested -- the Air Force and Navy's Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles. Figure 1. a. The JointUAV Task Force released in 2001 and 2002 the UAV Roadmap and a follow up in 2005, entitled the 2005-2030 UAS Roadmap for the purpose of providing guidance on the future roles for UAVs, thetechnological progress and opportunities for UAVs, and the potential UAV investment needs. It is unfair,some might argue, to compare the mishap rates of developmental UAVs with manned aircraft thathave completed development and been modernized and refined over decades of use. That's been a real thorn in our side. Conversely, is DoD too eager to use UAVs? Flying armed UAVs may be more appealing to these personnel than isflying non-armed UAVs. (189) 
Dragon Eye .
The war on terrorism has put a high premium on a primary mission of UAVs, intelligencegathering. Furthermore, the military effectiveness of UAVs in recent conflicts such as Iraq (1990)and Kosovo (1999) opened the eyes of many to both the advantages and disadvantages provided byunmanned aircraft. Long relegated to the sidelines in military operations, UAVs are now makingnational headlines as they are used in ways normally reserved for manned aircraft. Conventionalwisdom states that UAVs offer two main advantages over manned aircraft: they are considered morecost-effective, and they minimize the risk to a pilot's life. However, the current UAV accident rate(the rate at which the aircraft are lost or damaged) is 100 times that of manned aircraft.
UAVs range from the size of an insect to that of a commercial airliner. DOD currentlypossesses five major UAVs: the Air Force's Predator and Global Hawk, the Navy and MarineCorps's Pioneer, and the Army's Hunter and Shadow. Other key UAV developmental efforts includethe Air Force and Navy's unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), Navy's vertical takeoff and landingUAV (VTUAV), and the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAV(BAMS), and the Marine Corps'sDragon Eye and Dragon Warrior. The services continue to be innovative in their use of UAVs. Recent examples include arming UAVs (Predator, Hunter), using UAVs to extend the eyes ofsubmarines, and teaming UAVs with strike aircraft and armed helicopters to improve targeting.
In the past, tension has existed between the services' efforts to acquire UAVs andcongressional initiatives to encourage a consolidated DOD approach. Some observers argue that theresult has been a less than stellar track record for the UAV. However, reflecting the growingawareness and support in Congress and the Department of Defense for UAVs, investments inunmanned aerial vehicles have been increasing every year. DoD spending on UAVs has increasedfrom $284 million in Fiscal Year 2000 to $2.1 billion in FY2005.
Congressional considerations include the proper pace, scope, and management of DoD UAVprocurement; appropriate investment priorities for UAVs versus manned aircraft; UAV future rolesand applications; personnel issues; industrial base issues; and technology proliferation. This reportwill be updated as necessary.