Special Operations Forces and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

<p>This study analyzes whether special operations forces (SOF) should use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to support intelligence surveillance reconnaissance communications and resupply capability deficiencies. The author's objective is to review the missions and requirements of the United States Special Operations Command examine current and future unmanned aerial vehicle technologies and analyze whether unmanned aircraft technologies are mature enough to meet the demanding special operations mission. The result of the analysis is that unmanned aerial vehicles have tremendous potential. But due to the technological limitations and a lack of systems maturity unmanned aerial vehicles lack the range reliability datalink capability and size to meet SOF needs at this time. However in the future UAVs should be able to fulfill several SOF capability deficiencies.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>