ORAC,
Unfortunately what we see here on a daily....no make that an hourly basis will make your eyes fall out, and the general public too I might add! With the extensive military ops going on all those nice theories of notification, civil FIR compliance and international procedures are not only ignored but dangerously so. When it comes down to the nuts and bolts of it outside a nations teritorial limits and in International airspace choas reigns. The US military, as a primary example, operate under a very unique (to them of course!) system known as "Due Regard". This loosely means....they will do whatever they want, and they do. Some examples, travelling on/across air-routes at non-standard levels (at the high flight levels)and travelling through the busiest sections of controlled airspace without any communications. Their idea of de-conflicting with Commercial traffic (QFA, MAS, GFA, SIA, BA, PIA, AIC, SVA, etc. etc. etc.) is to operate at a VFR level so it is not unrealistic to have a KC135 NO-Comm (not talking to anyone!) east bound at FL285 (conformal levels are eastbound odds, westbound evens in this FIR) with a westbound B747 at FL280 and a B737 on a crossing track at FL290....mmm yes well that's safe!!!! Note this is not RVSM airspace and a 500'split with civil traffic at FL345 and an old non-TCAS equipped C5 Galaxy is not safe, this example is derived from an actual case last week.
So, the long and the short of it is, a UAV is quite insignificant in the scheme of things as far as "compliance", "authority" and "conformity" are concerned. It is a little fairy tale idea that the aviation community (I once again mention US military) comply to international conventions and protocols. With aviation measurements that use; Height measured in feet..and metres, Altimetry settings in Mb...and inches, speed in knots....and KM/h, we are only destined to witness more accidents and incidents, are we ever going to learn????!
:o :o :o