From the Back Cover Although remotely guided unmanned aircraft were used as flying bombs at the end of World War II, they served only as the primitive first steps in the development of today's digitally designed, remotely piloted and satellite-guided unmanned aerial vehicles. In just the last few years, these unique aircraft have matured into some of the most advanced weapons systems ever devised by man. These aircraft are now literally re-writing the book on how aerial surveillance and close air support is being conducted. Operating for days at a time and delivering their lethal payloads with surgical precision, propeller-driven or jet-powered unmanned aircraft are not only guided to their targets by GPS, but are flown by human operators located halfway around the world, completely isolated from the hostile combat environments of the aircraft themselves. While this book acknowledges the early history and development of unmanned aerial vehicles, its clear focus is on the latest technological advances and combat operations of UAVs today.