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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

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Safety of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
The unmanned Ariel vehicle known as the drone has raised many questions about its presence in the sky, such as does the future of air power belong to unmanned systems? The unmanned Ariel vehicle is used for military and homeland security purposes. The safety of these vehicles for other purposes is under scrutiny. The use of these vehicles in the wrong hands can cause major damage. Unmanned aerial vehicles are rarely used by public safety officials such as police and firefighters. Public safety officials use drones for surveillance to protect unsafe areas, they are used for rescue missions as well. The unmanned aerial vehicle was created to collect data, do border control and other activities. Because of the rapidly growing crimes the unmanned aerial vehicle has mainstreamed. Crisis such as low surveillance and reconnaissance has placed the unmanned aerial vehicle in high demand. The unmanned aerial vehicle has definitely evolved because of innovative technology. Because of new and innovative technologies, one must also ensure the safety and security of unmanned aerial vehicle software. Protecting the safety of the software used to fly the unmanned aerial vehicle is crucial. According to military embedded systems, there are two kinds of standards to consider for UAV safety and security: (Which safety/security standards should be in place, 2013) * Process standards describe the development processes to be followed to ensure that the finished product is written in a safe manner (DO-178) or a secure manner (ISO 14508). * Coding standards describe a high-level programming language subset that ensures the software is written as safely (MISRA C) and securely (CERT C) as possible.

The unmanned aerial Vehicle will remain safe as longs as there are not any intruders to try and take over the flying process or the mission that it is intended to do. It is also important to keep software up to date to ensure that the unmanned aerial vehicle is flying and performing effectively. The FAA (federal Aviation Administration) performed a safety analysis for two critical hazards in unmanned aerial vehicle operation. These include: midair collision and ground impact. The FAA developed models to test out these theories and there safety. The expected level of safety was performed by a risk analysis. The outcome was that it is possible to operate unmanned aerial vehicles depending on the size with few operational and size restrictions. The unmanned aerial vehicle is also known as the eye in the sky. In order for the unmanned aerial vehicle to operate in civil space there needs to be assurance that the vehicle can safely operate in shared aviation system environments. The FAA has limited the amount of use of drones for public safety use. Unmanned aerial vehicles are mainly used by government officials such as homeland security and the military.
Classifications
According to the federal Aviation Administration, unmanned aerial vehicles come in a variety of shapes and sizes and serve diverse purposes (Fact Sheet – Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), 2013). According to the UAV there are eleven models of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV TYPES, 2013). These include: * Global hawk * Predator A * Predator B * X-47A & X-47B * Mariner * Altair * Fire scout * ER/MP UAS * Hunter * I- GNAT * Army IGNAT ER
There is a mix of potential classifications for unmanned aerial vehicles. The mix of terminology is used from sources such as; military, research community, and manufactures (potential classifications, 2013). The different nomenclatures of unmanned aerial systems are based on vehicle mass, vehicle configuration, type of operation, and military level employment.
Drones in civil space
The use and concerns of unmanned aerial vehicles in civil space is rapidly growing. In the United States civil airspace is divided into uncontrolled and controlled airspace. According to the FAA, airspace is designated as class A, B, C, D, or E. E is controlled airspace and G is uncontrolled airspace (Airspace classifications, 2013). This table retrieved from the FAA better explains the use of these dividers:
Figure 1 airspace classification 2013 In order for an unmanned aerial vehicle to be deployed in the United States in civil space, it must first pass the FAA standards. An unmanned aerial vehicle must prove to be worthy of air presence and be granted a FAA certificate. Another certificate to be granted is an air worthiness statement from the department of defense (Domestic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Drones, 2013).
Privacy Issues When individuals think of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones they think of privacy issues. The unmanned aerial vehicle was not intended to spy on innocent people and collect personal information. It was created to increase national security. The drone was also created to make quicker responses in the time of natural disaster. Individuals often think that “big brother” is watching when a drone is present in the sky. The drone is a product of the military and the use by other individuals is slowly evolving. Privacy is a major concern when it comes to drones and their use. Privacy concerns have delayed efforts to launch new federal rules for the assimilation of unmanned aerial vehicles in airspace. Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, and Montana signed bills into law limiting the use of drones by law enforcement. The law requires a probable cause warrant in order to use unmanned aerial vehicles. In Montana the law that was signed, SB 196 states “An act limiting the use of unmanned vehicles by law enforcement; and prohibiting the use of unlawfully obtained information as evidence in court.” (Montana bill, 2013). Florida defines what a drone is and limits its use within there state. The only way that an unmanned aerial vehicle can be operated in Florida, is there is a terrorist threat determined by the department of homeland security, or there is a need to prevent loss of life or serious property damage or the search for a missing person (State Enactments, 2013). Idaho was the second state to limit drone use and there is a major civil penalty for damages caused by improper use (State Enactments, 2013). In Tennessee individuals wronged by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles are able to seek a civil remedy. A map retrieved from NCSL (National Conference of state Legislation) shows states with UAS legislation action:

Figure 2 NCSL 2013
Economic Concerns
According to the teal group the unmanned aerial vehicle spending is expected to total $89 billion dollars. Despite budget cutbacks the unmanned aerial vehicle is still the vehicle of choice when it comes to spending. The unmanned aerial vehicle is in high demand because of newly developed technology. Compared to four years ago the unmanned aerial vehicle is able to perform more tasks. In 2009 the unmanned aerial vehicle budget was listed at 5.4 billion dollars. Based on statistical information, the unmanned aerial vehicle will have a positive impact on our economy. According to AUVSI more than 70,000 jobs will be created in the United States. The benefits are seen to go through 2025 where 100,000 jobs will be created. This will cause an economic impact of $82 billion dollars (Economic Report). Unmanned aerial vehicles are being used in other areas. For example: * Law enforcement * Weather monitoring * Aerial imaging * Disaster management * Oil and gas exploration * Environmental monitoring According to AUVSI the economic benefits will not be evenly distributed throughout the states. AUVSI has predicted the 10 states that will see the most economic gain because of unmanned aerial vehicle job development. The ranked order of these states includes: 1. California 2. Washington 3. Texas 4. Florida 5. Arizona 6. Connecticut 7. Kansas 8. Virginia 9. New York 10. Pennsylvania
The ranking of these states are solely based on current airspace activity. States that have aerospace activity will also receive a great gain. One must also take into account that state laws, tax incentives, and regulations will determine where jobs will actually flow (Fact Sheet – Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), 2013). Because of the new jobs created the income that is generated will flow down to local communities, thus placing other services in high demand because of the amount of money that will be spent.
According to the department of defense the market for unmanned aerial vehicles is forecasted to increase over the next 10 years (Manufacturing trends, 2013). The need for unmanned aerial vehicle equipment is solely driven by military needs in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries. The department of defense provides a world UAV budget forecast courtesy of the teal group. (Manufacturing trends, 2013)
Figure 3 UAV Budget teal 2013
The United States now has over 7,000 unmanned aerial vehicles in their possession. In 2012 the United States spent $5 billion dollars for drone research and development. According to FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation) the CIA has over 30 predators and reaper drones. The department of homeland security has nine unmanned predator drones (Understanding Drones, 2013). Predator and reaper drones cost approximately $2,500-$3,500 per flight hour (Understanding Drones, 2013). Larger unmanned vehicles cost about $ 30,000 per hour.
Congress is funding the unmanned aerial vehicle research program in respect to the military and the department of homeland security. Congress believes that there is not a downside to the use of drones. The US Military and the CIA determine when drones will be used and for what purpose. Unmanned aerial vehicles regulations usually depend on deployed location.
Considerations
I believe that drones should not be operated by other individuals besides law enforcement and other government agencies. I say this because the drone is used to collect data and have cameras attached to them. Large drones can be armed with missiles. Being that drones are operated remotely it can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hands. Along the Mexico border individuals who are not government official have access to drones. This is dangerous because you never know what they are planning to do with these vehicles that they have in their possession. I strongly believe that unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) should solely be operated by government officials and by law enforcement but with limitations. I also believe that there should be major safety considerations when operating the unmanned aerial vehicle in civil space. The unmanned aerial vehicle may be a good vehicle to use but it is prone to being manipulated by hackers. Once a hacker is in a drones system it can be manipulated into following a different command other than the command it was sent out to do. Being that new technology is constantly being developed, I believe that there will soon be a technology code developed to prevent hackers from getting into the system.

Works Cited
Airspace classifications. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/nas_redesign/regional_guidance/eastern_reg/nynjphl_redesign/documentation/feis/appendix/media/Appendix_A-National_Airspace_System_Overview.pdf
Domestic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Drones. (2013). Retrieved from http://epic.org/privacy/drones/
Fact Sheet – Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). (2013). Retrieved from Federal Aviation Administration: http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=14153
Manufacturing trends. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42938.pdf
Montana bill. (2013). Retrieved from leg.mt.gov/bills/2013/billpdf/SB0196.pdf potential classifications. (2013). Retrieved from http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/34912/Weibel%20-%20ICAT%20Report%20-%20UAV%20Safety.pdf?sequence%3D1
State Enactments. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/justice/unmanned-aerial-vehicles.aspx
UAV TYPES. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.theuav.com/global_hawk.html
Understanding Drones. (2013). Retrieved from Friends Committee on National Legislation: http://fcnl.org/issues/foreign_policy/understanding_drones/
Visual Depiction of Airspace Classifications. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim/aim0302.html
Which safety/security standards should be in place. (2013). Retrieved from Military embedded sysytems: http://mil-embedded.com/articles/whats-needed-ensure-safety-security-uav-software/
Economic Report. (n.d.). Retrieved from Robotics tomorrow: http://www.auvsi.org/econreport

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