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Technology that is found around the world continues to move forward. Some of the elements that are created from it change the way we view things forever from that point on. One of those inventions is the drone. The early ones were referred to as unmanned ariel vehicles (UAVs). A common question is what is the difference between a drone and a cruise missile. The difference is that a drone is able to be recovered after the mission. It is true that some of the drones can carry ammo and fire at a given target.

Austria Attack on Venice

The first recorded use of UAVs was in 1849 in Austria. They were used to attack Venice by balloons dropping down. Many of them did, but the Austrians didn’t account for the wind. Some of those balloons of explosives actually traveled back to Austria before they exploded upon impact.

World War I

In 1916, UAVs were used in World War I to carry weapons to various destinations. They were fast and they were referred to as aerial torpedoes. They weren’t used as often as people thought though. There were plenty of designs in the works for them through 1918. However, the United States government didn’t want to be too reliant on them during the war.

World War II

In 1935, a prototype was introduced to the US government by Reginald Denney. Approximately 15,000 of these drones were manufactured and used in World War II. By 1938, they were commonly used by both the US Navy and the US Air Force.

Nuclear Testing

In 1946, drones were used for a variety of types of nuclear testing. Explosions were created and different prototypes of drones were sent through the destruction to see how much damage would occur to them. It is believed that the Soviet Union also conducted such testing around the same time period.

Vietnam War

Beginning in 1959, drones were a just benefit in the Vietnam War. This continued into 1964. It is believed that only about 6 of the drones used in this war were able to be shot down by the enemy. United States Customs and Border Protection Since 2007, drones have been used by the US Customs and Border Protection. This is part of an effort to reduce illegal immigrants from crossing the border. It is also in place to assist with reducing the risk of drug trafficking events at the border.

The United States and Afghanistan

They were used to fly unmanned over Afghanistan beginning in 2002. This was during the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The decision to use drones in such a manner as part of the updated security plans after the horrific terrorist attacks of 09/11/01.

Emergency Response

In 2005, it was requested for Drones to be sent to look for people who may need to be rescued after Hurricane Katrina. However, the FAA didn’t have such authorization in place yet. That was changed in 2006 and drones can be used for future emergency types of situations. This includes searching around for people that may be trapped or unable to reach a safe location after a natural disaster or after a vehicle accident. Many forest areas are too dense for airplanes to get close enough without the risk of a crash. The same is true in some mountain terrains. The use of drones to look for such individuals could save lives. 

There has been the suggestion to use drones to help with looking for people in avalanches or that got lost hiking. The difference is that drones can get there quickly and safely compared to the many precautions that have to be implemented before a search and rescue team can get to that location.

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Drones have been around for a very long time, they are found in the airspace in the USA and other places around the world such as Japan. They seem to be more popular now than ever before. They are used for commercial needs, personal needs, and even by the military. One of the many reasons that various government agencies rely on them is that they save money. It is less expensive to pay for drones to watch for potential drug deals, cattle thieves, and even illegal immigrants trying to get across the border than it is to pay for the manpower to be those eagle eyes. Not everyone is a fan of drones though, and they do worry about them. 

They feel that their safety and their privacy may be compromised by them. We will cover that in a later chapter. While there are some risks in place, the benefits of drones far outweigh the risk of someone using them for their own personal gain. They have been in use since the later part of the 1800s. They were used in several wars including World War I and World War II. Of course, what we see today in terms of drones is far different than those early prototypes.

Even if you haven’t paid much attention to drones until now, they have been widely used for quite some time. We will cover the key points of their history in the next chapter. With that in mind, drones aren’t to scare anyone and they aren’t government spy tools on citizens. Drones are offered in many different shapes and sizes. There are some that called micro-drones as they aren’t any larger than a bee that you would see flying around. 

There are Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) regulations in place that mandate how they can be used, who can use them, and even where they can be used. All of that will be covered in future chapters. The use of drones is becoming more personal than just military or business use. That is what is opening up the demand for them. 

There are changes to the laws coming up, and those will also be covered in a later chapter. They were even used in the 2012 Winter Olympics. Drones are coming into the visual line in all capacities. They aren’t just a military tool anymore. They aren’t just for personal use in hobbies. They are going to start being used commercially. They are also used for safety, security, and for emergency situations. Some of those reports over the years that someone has spotted a UFO in the sky are believed to be due to drones. 

They could appear to be foreign objects that they aren’t familiar with. The fact that many drones are solar-powered and they can hoover for long periods of time in one place only further makes this mistaken identity more common.

Thanks to the technology offered, drones continue to get better and better. Some of them are huge with missiles and weapons on them. Others are very small and they can be undetected. While not everyone is a fan of drones due to privacy concerns and other details, learning about them can open up the idea of accepting them more readily into our society. Both on a personal and a commercial level. 

There are experts that expect there to be as many as 30,000 drones in the air at any point in time by the year 2020. Such information was recently reported in the Washington Times. This information certainly got the attention of those that don’t really understand all of the possible uses for drones. 

As you read through the information on drones, you will realize that they do hold a great deal of potential and benefits. They are also a method of assistance in many realms that you may not have initially thought about. Once you learn about them, you will agree that drones and the technology they offer are quite spectacular!

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Buy Drone at DJI Online store: 

1. DJI FPV: Buy it!

2. DJI MINI 2: Buy it!

3. DJI MAVIC AIR 2: Buy it!