UAV Sector of the Aviation Industry

1) What is the current status of this sector of the industry?

The UAV sector of the industry is primarily used by military operations. At present, the sector has been expanding, and will foresee exponential growth in the future. Currently the Pentagon has over 7000 aerial drones, a stark comparison to a mere 50 drones on hand nearly a decade ago -- Predator Drones & UAV's. Moreover, Congress was recently asked to instill approximately $5 billion dollars into the 2012 federal budget for the drones themselves. The importance of drones in the US Military cannot be underestimated. They've played a critical role in the war on terror, particularly with respect to missions carried out in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.). They've also killed several well known terrorists with their onboard lethal armament, eliminating the human-risk element in the process. That's one of the greatest benefits of the drone program -- the lack of the risk towards human life, which can be eliminated via the use of such drones. Nonetheless, the current status of the UAV industry is that it's rapidly expanding, thanks to its military success.

2) What are the issues in these sectors that must be evaluated while moving towards the future?

One of the issues is with respect to personal privacy. That's a big problem with foreign countries and the use of US-based drones. Many of those countries (such as Pakistan) have complained about the use of American-drones, comparing it to spy-equipment, and complaining about its use as a deadly weapon. Pakistan recently made a statement within the last few weeks citing that the United States should respect Pakistani 'sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity' -- Predator Drones & UAV's. Domestically, privacy is also a concern. While there are no present rules and/or regulations regarding privacy and drones, the concern is that commercialized drones could be used for surveillance purposes here in the US, without the knowledge of those being surveilled, of course. In other words, a case of 'big brother watching us all', or anyone for that matter (since drones are entering the commercial sector) having the capability to remotely surveil people. Other concerns are coming from human rights activists. Human rights activists are claiming that the being overtly dependant on technology to make killings by the US Military more easily attainable, drone operators may see killing people as simply a game, akin to playing a video game. In May 2010, a drone operator had launched an airstrike from the drone he/she was piloting, leading to the death of 23 Afghan civilians (women and children amongst them -- Innocent Afghan Deaths by Drone Operators. The American military claimed the airstrike was caused by inaccurate and unprofessional judgments by the drone operator(s) conducting the flight.

3) What is the 5-10 year outlook for this sector?

The projected outlook 5-10 years from now is progressing towards substantial expansion of the use of UAV's. On February 14th, 2012, President Obama signed a new federal law granting allowance to the FAA for use of drones for commercial operations. Commercial operations such as aerial photography, real estate overviews, crop dusting, oil spill and wildlife monitoring, and comparable commercial endeavors -- Predator Drones & UAV's. Police agencies and emergency based services will also be allowed to utilize drones for their services. Because this new law was passed, you can expect the UAV manufacturing business to soar. Commercial-based drone activity will now be available. Obviously the FAA will have some regulations regarding this (and they already do, such as the requirement of drones less than 4.4lbs for police/emergency services, and a max flight altitude of 400 ft). This whole genre is still quite new to the FAA, particularly with respect to the commercial sector, so it'll be an ongoing effort for the next 5-10 years as more regulations are established and commercial drones are made readily available.

4) What is/will the government's involvement be in this sector?

The government already has a heavy involvement in the UAV sector. At present, military operations are all governed by the government. Commercial operations were granted by the government, and the FAA will also oversee the appropriate rules/regulations regarding the commercial operations of UAV's. The governments involvement is substantial as they're essentially responsible for the development of the UAV market (military use), and its subsequent spread towards commercial use domestically. In many ways, the governments involvement with UAV's will be on par with it's involvement with your typical human-piloted aircraft. There's a military sector, and a commercial/private sector. Basically the same development with the UAV's, minus the human element.

5) What are possible career opportunities in this sector (be specific, which may require you to find actual job descriptions)?

Career opportunities in the UAV sector are very comparable to those found in aviation as a whole. A career as a UAV maintenance technician, for example, is one such career. Of course, the jobs as a UAV pilot are also available, and seem to be very easily attainable. Most simply require a high school diploma -- UAS/UAV Operator Career. Because the expansion into commercial UAV operations is now underway, jobs such as sales and marketing, management, customer service and other various opportunities are (and are soon to be) available in relatively large quantities. Most of these jobs seem pretty easy to obtain if you have a college degree (which we'll all have). If none of these jobs suite your interests, you could also pursue the manufacturing route (engineering, design, manufacturing, etc.). At present, there are already many, many companies you could work for -- check out all the UAV companies by clicking here. With the expansion that's projected over the next 5-10 years, one should expect an immense amount of job opportunities.