When unmanned Predator aircraft prowled the skies of Afghanistan using their electric eyes to hunt down al-Qaida operatives, they provided examples of a blossoming technology that probably will become more common in civilian uses.

Over about 10 years, unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, have been employed by the military to perform dangerous duties. But other uses — including homeland security and scientific experiments — are being explored, along with ways to integrate the aircraft into the daily operations at the nation’s municipal airports, according to researchers at New Mexico State University’s Physical Science Laboratory.

UAVs will generally be employed in jobs that are “dull, dirty or dangerous,” said Phil Copeland, the laboratory’s deputy technical director. They also could provide a cheaper alternative to using large, piloted aircraft.

“There are lots and lots of new UAV systems out there,” said Steve Hottman, the laboratory’s aerospace technical director. “The primary users are related to security and defense.”

The U.S. Border Patrol has flown UAVs on test missions in Arizona and Texas, Hottman said. The laboratory, which is working on mainstreaming UAVs into the civilian airspace, has received two contracts from the 46th Test Group at Holloman Air Force Base that so far have been worth about $12 million and other, smaller contracts, from industry groups.

Source and more info: borderlandnews