	Background

Since 1917, United States military services have researched and employed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They are most often called UAVs, and when combined with ground control stations and data links, form UAS, or unmanned aerial systems. The military use of UAS in conflicts such as Kosovo (1999), Iraq (since 2003), and Afghanistan (since 2001) has illustrated the advantages and disadvantages of unmanned aircraft. UAS regularly make national headlines as they perform tasks historically performed by manned aircraft. UAS are thought to offer two main advantages over manned aircraft: they eliminate the risk to a pilot's life, and their aeronautical capabilities, such as endurance, are not bound by human limitations. Initial U.S. capabilities came from platforms acquired from Israel. Reflecting a growing awareness and support for UAS, Congress has increased investment in unmanned aerial vehicles annually. DOD's inventory of unmanned aircraft increased from 167 to nearly 7,500 from 2002 to 2010. The General Atomics I-GNAT developed into the Air Force Predator and Reaper, which served as the basis for the Army Gray Eagle and DHS's Predator optimized for marine environments; Northrop Grumman's Air Force Global Hawk became, with different equipment, the Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) system. FAA and the UAS industry are working with the Department of Defense in order to facilitate the universal development of "see and avoid" technology that would allow a UAV to operate autonomously and avoid approaching aircraft, potentially increasing the standard ACL for UAS to 4. If UAS are introduced into the force in large numbers, might personnel issues arise? Industrial Base Considerations

Defense industrial base issues perennially confront Congress. Management

Who should manage the development and procurement of DOD UAS? Other Issues

In recent years, the pace of UAS development has accelerated, and the scope of UAS missions and applications has expanded. Conventional wisdom states that UAS are cheap, or cost-effective. Northrop Grumman based the design of the Fire Scout on a commercial helicopter. Six production MQ-8 air vehicles have been delivered to date. Program Status . Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (STUAS)

In July 2010, the Department of the Navy awarded Insitu a two-year, $43.7 million contract for the design, development, integration, and test of the Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (STUAS) for use by the Navy and Marine Corps to provide persistent maritime and land-based tactical reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) data collection and dissemination. Future UAS

		Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS)

In the mid-1990s, the Pentagon began developing a UAS designed primarily for combat missions.
Unmanned aerial systems comprise a rapidly growing portion of the military budget, and have been a long-term interest of Congress. At times, Congress has encouraged the development of such systems; in other instances, it has attempted to rein in or better organize the Department of Defense's efforts.
Unmanned aircraft are commonly called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and when combined with ground control stations and data links, form UAS, or unmanned aerial systems.
The use of UAS in conflicts such as Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and humanitarian relief operations such as Haiti, revealed the advantages and disadvantages provided by unmanned aircraft. Long considered experimental in military operations, UAS are now making national headlines as they are used in ways normally reserved for manned aircraft. Conventional wisdom states that UAS offer two main advantages over manned aircraft: they are considered more cost-effective, and they minimize the risk to a pilot's life. For these reasons and others, DOD's unmanned aircraft inventory increased more than 40-fold from 2002 to 2010.
UAVs range from the size of an insect to that of a commercial airliner. DOD currently possesses five UAVs in large numbers: the Air Force's Predator, Reaper, and Global Hawk; and the Army's Hunter and Shadow. Other key UAV developmental efforts include the Air Force's RQ-170 Sentinel; the Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS), MQ-8 Fire Scout, and Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV; and the Marine Corps's Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial System.
In the past, tension existed between the services' efforts to acquire UAS and congressional initiatives to encourage a consolidated DOD approach. Some observers argue that the result has been a less than stellar track record for UAS programs. However, reflecting the growing awareness and support in Congress and the Department of Defense for UAS, investments in unmanned aerial vehicles have been increasing every year. DOD spending on UAS has increased from $284 million in FY2000 to $3.3 billion in FY2010.
Congressional considerations include the proper pace, scope, and management of DOD UAS procurement; appropriate investment priorities for UAS versus manned aircraft; UAS future roles and applications; legal issues arising from the use of UAS; issues of operational control and data management; personnel issues; industrial base issues; and technology proliferation.