6. UAV Operators, Other Airspace Users, and Regulators: Critical Components of an Uninhabited System

UAVs have become a critical component of U.S. military operations, reducing the need to risk the life of a pilot, while performing tasks considered dull, dirty, and dangerous. UAVs currently are serving an important intelligence, surveillance, search, and destroy function in Operation Enduring Freedom. Since September 11, 2001, the public has increasingly been made aware of the role that military UAVs, such as the Predator and Global Hawk, play.