Hurdles for the Success of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

There are several challenges that the developers of UAVs must overcome in order to ensure the success of this technology. According to Lawrence Newcome, the “market for UAVs has shown a strong positive trend since the end of the Cold War (1990) and this is expected to accelerate” (2004, p. 133). However, he notes that “major hurdles to the continuation of this trend are the increasing amount (and cost) of the software involved and the silicon chip manufacturing barrier” (Newcome, 2004, p. 133). P. W. Singer outlines other obstacles that must be dealt with such as the need for improved maneuverability, enhanced autonomy, and the advancement of real-time planning. Ultimately, Newcome asserts that UAVs need “improved reliability, a regulatory infrastructure, and a stable customer base” in order to survive (2004, p. 136). Overall, patrons of this technology need to trust its dependability in order to endorse it and ensure its proliferation.