We are WAY past the foot-stomping/outrage point on this matter. It's a done deal.
I remember a "drone program" going back to the immediate post-Vietnam years and plenty of those didn't go anywhere, they were glorified toys that you see in the hobby aisle.
It's unclear from the article how many of these things crashed in the early stages, how many were shot down, etc.
In any event, the horse has left the barn, has gamboled in the fields of sweet hay, and taken off across the countryside:
http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/UAS/
The goal of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Project Office is to support the integration of UAS technology into the process employed by USGS scientists to support informed decision making across the Department of the Interior. This integration will directly benefit the nation by creating the opportunity for USGS and our partners to gain access to an increased level of persistent monitoring of earth surface processes (forest health conditions, monitoring wildfires, earthquake zones, invasive species, etc.) in areas that have been difficult or nearly impossible to obtain information before. Each of the Bureaus in the Department is eagerly investing in the investigation of UAS to support their mandated missions. The USGS is working closely with partners from NOAA, DoD, DHS, NASA and academia to apply UAS technology in support of our specific and overlapping missions. The Dept. of the Interior has acquired Raven and T-Hawk small UAS systems (valued at nearly $15M) from the Department of Defense to conduct proof-of-concept projects; initiate UAS operator training; submit numerous Certificate of Authorization (COA) requests to the Federal Aviation Administration. The USGS has been nominated to serve as the DOI - Center of Excellence for Scientific Investigations by the DOI Office of Aviation Safety (OAS). The USGS UAS Project Office staff is recognized as subject matter experts not only for DOI but also internationally.
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/05/05/montgomery-county-fire-department-using-drones/
LANHAM, Md. (WNEW) — The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department has invested in a new tool that will help it better fulfill its mission of public safety — three Unmanned Aircraft Systems, better known as drones.
“I think that this is going save lives, and it’s also going to save property loss, and it’s going to save us time,” Montgomery County Fire Department assistant chief Mike Clemens told WNEW’s John Domen, who got an exclusive look at the new machines. “It is exciting because it’s another element to make us better.”
Fire officials believe the reconnaissance the drone can provide while a fire is burning will be invaluable.
“Something like this can hover at the height of a building, about 25-30 feet above it,” Clemens said.
The high-definition camera mounted on board is capable of sending still shots and video to crews on the ground, so they don’t have to guess where to target the blaze. This can be especially helpful in highrise building fires.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/drone-list-domestic-police-law-enforcement-surveillance_n_2647530.html
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, may be coming to a police department near you.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released an updated drone authorization list as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit organization for digital civil liberties.
The new list reveals 81 entities that have applied for permission to fly drones in U.S. airspace, including a number of government agencies and universities. Seventeen police departments and sheriff's offices across the country have also filed, among them are stations in Little Rock, Ark., Gadsden, Ala., Miami, Fla., Ogden, Utah, and Seattle, Wash.
Universities that can be found on the list include California State University, Cornell University, Kansas State University and Penn State University, among others. In addition, the Indian Tribal office in California, has made a request to be allowed to fly UAVs....
= new reply since forum marked as read
's Probably went OTT...with my rant.