Predators, Raptors and More: The Wide World of Drones

An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle flies through the air. The aircraft provides intelligence, search and reconnaissance gathering features, and munitions capability to support ground troops and base defense. (U.S. Air Force)

Avionics mechanics Jonathan Hagy and Russell Gordy work on an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The Predator provides armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance and target acquisition for Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jonathan Steffen)

An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle takes off from Creech Air Force Base, Nev., for a training sortie over the Nevada desert. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and F-16 Fighting Falcon return from an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat mission. Both aircraft provide intelligence, search and reconnaissance gathering features, as well as munitions capability to support ground troops and base defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Shannon Collins)

An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and F-16 Fighting Falcon return from an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat mission. Both aircraft provide intelligence, search and reconnaissance gathering features, as well as munitions capability to support ground troops and base defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Shannon Collins)

An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and F-16 Fighting Falcon return from an Operation Iraqi Freedom combat mission. Both aircraft provide intelligence, search and reconnaissance gathering features, as well as munitions capability to support ground troops and base defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Shannon Collins)

Avionics mechanics Jonathan Hagy and Russell Gordy work on an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle May 17 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The Predator provides armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance and target acquisition for Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jonathan Steffen)

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on a ramp in Afghanistan. The Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force)

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on a ramp in Afghanistan Sept. 31. The Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. (Courtesy photo) (Rinze_200@f-m.fm)

The MQ-9 Reaper is a medium-to-high altitude, long endurance unmanned aircraft system. Reapers provide the joint force commander a persistent hunter-killer able to strike emerging targets. The MQ-9 also acts as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance asset, employing sensors to provide real-time data to commanders and intelligence specialists at all levels. 

A maintenance Airman inspects an MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan Sept. 31. Capable of striking enemy targets with on-board weapons, the Reaper has conducted close air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (Rinze_200@f-m.fm)

The "Reaper" has been chosen as the name for the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle. The U.S. Air Force proposed the MQ-9 system in response to the Department of Defense request for Global War on Terrorism initiatives. It is larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator and is designed to go after time-sensitive targets with persistence and precision. (U.S. Air Force)

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on a ramp in Afghanistan Sept. 31. The Reaper is launched, recovered and maintained at deployed locations, while being remotely operated by pilots and sensor operators at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. (Rinze_200@f-m.fm)

The Sanswire Stratellite is a lighter than air airship designed for communications missions in the lower stratosphere, at elevations up to 60,000 feet altitude. (Sanswire)

The Stratellite is a segmented aircraft, consisting of a sequence of buoyancy cells. It can be equipped for telecommunication services or for surveillance capabilities. (Sanswire)

Sanswire argues that a craft like the Stratellite System has many fields of application, but beyond a purely commercial system, the Stratellite can provide efficient solutions in the field of fighting ecological disasters and catastrophes, filling the current void for instant infrastructures when catastrophe strikes. (Sanswire)

In environmental disasters telecommunication breaks down within seconds, Re-installation of the infrastructure takes weeks or months. The Stratellite can be used as a floating mobile telecommunication station for all telecommunication purposes and the transmission of temporary data communication, telecommunication and TV-programs as well as long-term missions over metropolitan cities. (Sanswire)

High altitude unmanned airships are recognized for their ability to dramatically expand line of sight capabilities to over 125,000 sq. miles. These platforms will provide far greater communications coverage for commercial and government applications. (Sanswire)