U.S. Navy Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Christian Riddle, left, and Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Dante Galati secure a recovered Air Force BQM-74C Chukar III aerial target drone to a crane aboard USS Tortuga (LSD 46) after an at-sea exercise for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2011 in the South China Sea June 11, 2011. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katerine Noll/Released) An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) completes its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 4, 2011. The UCAS-D program will demonstrate the capability of an autonomous, low-observable unmanned aircraft to perform carrier launches and recoveries. (DoD photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman/Released). Date Shot: 2/4/2011 Air Photo Service Co. Inc, Japan, January 2011 U.S. Army Sgt. Brian Curd, and Spc. Nicholas Boxley, both combat engineers, from Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, prepare the RQ-16A Tarantula Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, for operation, at Basra province, Iraq, Dec. 1, 2010. Although, T-Hawk requires a great deal of maintenance, the capabilities it provides are well worth the time spent. (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Matthew Fumagalli/Released). Date Shot: 12/1/2010 Engineers, from left, Daniel Braun, Eric Sanchez and David Barney, with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Systems Center Pacific, perform pre-deployment inspections on Littoral Battlespace Sensing Unmanned Undersea Vehicles aboard the oceanographic survey ship USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS 60) while portside in San Diego, Calif., Oct. 21, 2010. Each vehicle hosts a payload suite of sensors that will measure the physical characteristics of the water column as it routinely descends and ascends in the ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Rick Naystatt/Released). Date Shot: 10/21/2010 U.S. Navy Aerographer's Mate Airman Alex Boston, left, and Aerographer's Mate 3rd Class Ryan Thuecks, right, both assigned to the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center, and Ana Ziegler, with the Office of Naval Research, deploy an unmanned underwater vehicle during exercise Frontier Sentinel in the northern Atlantic Ocean June 9, 2010. The annual joint maritime homeland security exercise involved the Canadian navy, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, and federal, state, and local agencies in the detection, assessment and response to maritime security threats. (U.S. Navy photo by Wayne Stigstedt/Released). Date Shot: 6/9/2010 U.S. Navy Sonar Technician Surface 1st Class Bryson Menke and Mineman 3rd Class Michael Darcy, both stationed with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1, prepare to deploy an unmanned underwater vehicle April 22, 2010, in the Persian Gulf. EODMU-1 and USS Dextrous (MCM 13) are conducting drills. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ja'lon A. Rhinehart/Released). Date Shot: 4/22/2010 Danielle Bryant, right, an oceanographer from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), establishes a satellite connection to the Glider Operations Center at NAVOCEANO before launching the seaglider unmanned underwater vessel from the Military Sealift Command oceanographic survey ship USNS Henson (T-AGS 63) March 24, 2010, in the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel is designed to collect physical oceanography data in deep water. Henson is under way off the coast of Fortaleza, Brazil, for Oceanographic-Southern Partnership Station 2010 conducting survey demonstrations with the Brazilian Directorate of Hydrograph and Navigation. Oceanographic-Southern Partnership Station is an oceanographic surveying and information exchange program between subject matter experts with partner nations in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lily Daniels/Released). Date Shot: 3/24/2010 U.S. Navy Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Brad Goss, right, and Sonar Technician (Surface) 1st Class Anthony Craig, left, from the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare (LCS ASW) Mission Package detachment, operate an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in the waters of the Narragansett Bay, R.I., Feb. 16, 2010. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport is developing the USV for future LCS ASW operations. (U.S. Navy photo/Released). Date Shot: 2/16/2010 U.S. Navy Mineman Seaman James Raper pushes the mine neutralization vehicle (MNV) of the mine countermeasures ship USS Defender (MCM 2) into its cradle Nov. 24, 2009, in the Yellow Sea. An MNV is a remote-controlled, unmanned submarine that uses a video camera to confirm the presence of underwater mines. Defender is participating in exercise Clear Horizon, an annual exercise conducted with the Republic of Korea Navy, that is one of the largest international mine counter-measures exercises in the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Richard Doolin/Released). Date Shot: 11/24/2009 The U.S Air Force Academy's Viking 300 aircraft, an unmanned aerial system, flies over Camp Red Devil at Fort Carson, Colo., July 22, 2009. The Air Force Academy is the first military service academy to begin integrating unmanned aerial systems into its curriculum. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mike Kaplan/Released). Date Shot: 7/23/2009 An Unmanned Little Bird helicopter, a smaller version of the manned A/MH-6M Little Bird helicopter, is tested and evaluated by personnel from the U.S. Marine Corps' Warfighting Laboratory at Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Va., June 16, 2009, in Bridgeport, Calif., during Javelin Thrust-09. Marine Forces Reserve, headquartered in New Orleans, is conducting Javelin Thrust-09 at six locations throughout the Western United States. The combined arms exercise showcases a range of combat and logistics capabilities and allows leaders to assess the operational readiness of participating units. More than 2,000 reserve- and active-component Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen are training simultaneously in support of the exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer Keith A. Stevenson/Released). Date Shot: 6/16/2009 Dirk D. Reum, a robotic systems engineer, conducts a systems check of a robotic unmanned ground vehicle (RUGV) June 13, 2009, in Hawthorne, Nev., before making it available for test training with U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, during exercise Javelin Thrust 2009. The RUGV has a payload capacity of 1,400 pounds. Javelin Thrust showcases a wide range of combat and logistics capabilities, and allows leaders to assess the operational readiness of participating units. More than 3,000 reserve and active component Marines and members of the Navy, Army and Air National Guard will train during the combined arms exercise at six locations throughout the Western United States. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Keith A. Stevenson/Released). Date Shot: 6/13/2009 The Heron TP medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle takes off from Comalapa International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador, May 21, 2009, during a counter drug operations support mission. The Heron is part of an unmanned aircraft system deployed to El Salvador to support Project Monitoreo, a month-long evaluation initiative to assess the suitability of using unmanned aircraft for counterdrug missions in the United States Southern Command area. (U.S. Army photo by Jose Ruiz/Released). Date Shot: 5/21/2009 The U.S. Navy and Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. demonstrate a fully autonomous Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) near Fort Monroe, Va., Jan. 14, 2009. The USV uses its autonomous maritime navigation systems to patrol and detect intruders. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Adam Nuzzo/Released). Date Shot: 1/14/2009 U.S. Navy Lt. Timothy Stanford, a graduate student at University of Wisconsin, tests his Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle (AUV) prior to competing in the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Society International's (AUVSI) 11th annual competition in San Diego, Calif., Aug. 1, 2008. AUVSI, in cooperation with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, hosts the event to encourage young engineers and scientists to consider careers developing AUV technologies for the U.S. Navy. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brian Gaines/Released). Date Shot: 8/1/2008 Fox News reporter Phil Keating interviews U.S. Navy Capt. Robert Dishman, the Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office 262 Program Manager, in front of the Skyship 600 blimp at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., July 10, 2008. The lighter-than-air vehicle is in Key West for six weeks to conduct a series of maritime surveillance evaluations. The joint airship experiment between the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard emphasizes the cooperative strategy for 21st century seapower among the sea services. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rachel McMarr/Released). Date Shot: 7/10/2008 An unmanned aerial vehicle's Predator Hellfire missile is shown on a simulator's virtual camera at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, Calif., June 25, 2008. As the U.S. military scrambles to get more robotic warplanes like the Predator drone aloft, it is confronting an unexpected adversary: human error. (Damian Dovarganes) Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates learns how to operate an unmanned ground vehicle during a tour of the future combat systems facility at Fort Bliss, Texas, May 1, 2008. (Department of Defense photo by Cherie Cullen/Released). Date Shot: 5/1/2008 A Condor unmanned aerial vehicle sits on top of its carrying case before flying during Atlantic Strike V at the air-ground training complex in Avon Park, Fla., April 17, 2007. Atlantic Strike is a U.S. Central Command Air Forces initiative and the only joint, tactical-level, urban, close air support training event dedicated to supporting the war on terror. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Otero) (Released). Date Shot: 4/17/2007 US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) show the US Navy (USN) Sailors aboard the USN Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship USS BOXER (LHD 4) the "Silver Fox" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The 15th MEU and the BOXER are part of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 5 which is currently participating in their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the coast of Southern California. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Third Class Noel Danseco (RELEASED). Date Shot: 7/16/2006 Engineers check the structure after the test flights of the Navy-built Guardian Griffin unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The flights demonstrated its capability to support U.S. joint forces with missions ranging from convoy escort and port security to combat patrol. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. John Joyce (RELEASED). Date Shot: 5/18/2006 The Proteus aircraft takes off from Mojave Airfield near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on May 9, 2006. It carries the pod that eventually will contain the radar that will be used on the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. A year of testing, that will be conducted by the 851st Electronic Testing Group, will begin in September once the radar is installed on Proteus. (U.S. Air Force photo) (Released). Date Shot: 5/9/2006 Northrop Grumman's RQ-8A Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) test fires the second of two Mark (MK) 66 2.75-inch unguided rockets during weapons testing at Arizona's Yuma Proving Grounds. The Fire Scout has the ability to autonomously take off and land from any aviation-capable warship and at unprepared landing zones, with an on-station endurance of over four hours. The Fire Scout system is capable of continuous operations, providing coverage at 110 nautical miles from the launch site. Utilizing a baseline payload that includes electro-optical/infrared sensors and a laser rangefinder/designator the Fire Scout can find and identify tactical targets, track and designate targets, accurately provide targeting data to strike platforms, employ precision weapons, and perform battle damage assessment. Photographer's Name: TIM PAYNTER, CIV. Date Shot: 7/25/2005 U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Patrick Vasquez, a Force Protection Airborne Surveillance System (FPASS) operator from the 99th Security Forces Group, prepares to release a Desert Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle during an urban warfare training at Indian Springs Auxiliary Air Field, Nev., on May 4, 2005. The Desert Hawk gives real-time video surveillance to FPASS operators who in turn are able to instantly relay enemy force locations to the troops in the field. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Robert W. Valenca) (Released). Date Shot: 5/4/2005 A U.S. Air Force BQM-167A Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is launched from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., on Dec. 22, 2004. The BQM-167A is powered by a ventrally mounted turbojet engine. It can be air or ground launched, and can carry the full range of current target payloads, including radar enhancers, countermeasures, scoring devices, and towed targets. (USAF Photo by Bruce Hoffman, CIV) (Released). Date Shot: 12/22/2004