OK, not he easiest read, but some interesting statements and assumptions from MoD.
The increasing capability and importance of UAVs
“in 1998 a UAV crossed the Atlantic for the first time, covering 3270 kilometres in 26 hours and 45 minutes using a gallon and a half of fuel…. boundaries around aircraft effectiveness and efficiency had been shattered by this exciting new technology, which offered the potential to greatly reduce the exposure of aircrew to risk and to greatly expand military ISTAR capabilities”—Intellect.18
“Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) have a major contribution to make to the aerial surveillance component of…. (ISTAR) capability…. Have performance characteristics unmatched, or not matched cost effectively, by manned aircraft including persistence…. agility, and the ability to operate from
rudimentary take off and landing sites”—Thales UK.19
“UAVs are transforming the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan. Future conflicts will see their role expanded dramatically. In war-fighting situations, they offer shortened target engagement timescales compared to conventional platforms. For peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions,
they offer vital persistent ISTAR capabilities”—Northrop Grumman.20
“a UA can climb, dive and turn faster and more tightly than manned aircraft…. giving them superior aerobatic capabilities. This has led to the US Air Force to call for Unmanned Combat Aircraft Systems (UCAS), which are confidently predicted to outperform future manned combat aircraft in the next decade or two”—Royal Aeronautical Society.21
“over 39 countries have developed or are developing UAVs of varying sizes and with varying levels of technical sophistication. A 2005 census revealed some 400 UAV programmes in existence or under development”—Royal Aeronautical Society
Full report
http://www.parliament.the-stationery...ce/535/535.pdf