Emerging Technologies: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This chapter investigates the challenges and constraints European countries have faced in the adoption, integration, and production of unmanned aerial systems—also known as drones or remotely piloted vehicles. It illustrates the broader technological transformations that have accompanied the rise of unmanned systems and qualifies their nature and features. It then discusses the various European projects in this field and their outcomes, looking at three periods: the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2010s. The analysis considers both the more successful cases as well as the more controversial programmes, discussing—when possible—the factors contributing to these outcomes, including the role of bilateral cooperation, of the EU, of NATO, and of industry. The chapter concludes with an overview of the field including the challenges ahead.