Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Civilian Missions

• February 2012
• Therese Skrzypietz

• Number 1 Policy Paper
• The Use of UAS for Civilian Missions

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are becoming increasingly important. The news constantly reports on military actions by US drones, and it is therefore not surprising that public awareness of UAS is based on military operations and their consequences. However, in the civil sector, especially in Europe, UAS have so far played only a minor role. In this study, the potential civil applications of UAS are identified and critically examined. The study attempts to highlight both the advantages and the limitations of unmanned aerial vehicles. The special features of the UAS are compared with existing alternatives already used in civil reconnaissance missions in order to identify and evaluate the potential of the UAS in the civil sector. Special attention will be paid to supporting the universities of applied sciences in disaster management and the deployment of universities of applied sciences in the field of internal