@GlueBall
"This had previously been hashed over in a previous thread.
Keep in mind that UAVs are operated by the military and are funded by unlimited tax dollars. That's one of the reasons the government keeps the NUMBER of UAVs that have NOT returned to base a secret. In fact, hundreds have been lost, and not just in combat.
Just as the automatics in an airliner . . . everything works OK until something breaks, except that in a UAV the remote operator may lose control when the autopilot goes on vacation, or when the hydraulic system springs a leak.. "
I apologise for not having seen the other related threads.Please bear in mind that you need to differentiate between the causes of the losses you cite, technical systems failures, human factors and intent. In the first case, that is the same as for piloted AC (dependent on certification requirements), the second is again the same. The third, intent, is clearly a case that particularly in military use, the UAV by the very nature of being unmanned is considered expendable. It is no surprise that the stats are as you mention, but this is irrelevant to the point.