proliferating
unmanned
aircraft
PHOTO: NASA controllers use sophisticated display and software technology to control the
organization’s Global Hawk long-range surveillance UAVs.
The technological
revolution that began in
the latter half of the 20th Century
was largely hardware-based, from
computers to communications
to combat. That began to change
as the 1990s drew to a close
and software began taking on a
greater role in providing upgraded
capabilities on existing hardware.
The software-defined radio
(SDR) generally is cited as the
principle example of that, but
in recent years it has expanded
BY J.R. Wilson
Unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) are in
common usage in the
U.S. military, yet systems
designers struggle with
developing universal
UAV control systems that
are simple and reliable
to operate.
software-defined radar, sonar,
and software-defined unmanned
vehicle (UXV) control systems.
Software-defined unmanned
vehicle control is an adaptation
that will better enable the long-sought goal of common controllers as the number and type of
The challenge of controlling
