Remember when the US started using drones in the sandbox? At first they were unarmed.

When the US authorized the use of drones for border patrols that was an easy to "sell" and they also were unarmed…. well they are currently unarmed but being used for local LE standoffs. I hope you don't think I am a prophet because I can forsee a day when we will have armed predator drones over the US. (read some of Matt Brakens fiction it is a picture of things to come)

 http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/11/9360170-report-us-drones-helping-local-police-agencies

This trend is inevitable.  As money gets tight and budgets get cut, organizations look for ways to get the same output at less cost.  Technology comes to the rescue.  It's why the unemployment rate is so high.  Computers can now do a lot of what only people could do just a few years ago.  But a lot of jobs go unfilled because employers cannot find people with the right skills to fill them.  If you enjoy playing with flying model airplanes and know how to keep them flying, for example, consider changing careers and start getting paid for having fun.

Idea of civilians using drone aircraft may soon fly with FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to propose new rules for the use of small drones in January, a first step toward clearing the way for police departments, farmers and others to employ the technology.

…

"This is a tool that many law enforcement agencies never imagined they could have," said Steven Gitlin, a company executive.

Plenty of police departments fly expensive helicopters for high-speed chases, spotting suspects and finding missing people. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it recently bought 12 new helicopters at a cost of $1.7 million each.

Gitlin said a small Qube, by comparison, would cost "slightly more than the price of a police cruiser," or about $40,000.

Sheriff's Department Cmdr. Bob Osborne said that there's "no doubt" that the department is interested in using drones. "It's just that the FAA hasn't come up with workable rules that we can harness it. If those roadblocks were down, we'd want to use it."

…

Drones' low-cost appeal has other industries interested as well.

…

But if the use of drones is so widespread in the future, it raises concern that they could fall into the wrong hands and be weaponized.

Gallo said:

I'm not sure how may drones the government will be able to fuel when the economy collapses and people stop paying taxes.

 

There is good in everything.

Agreed