The future of flight: How autonomous systems are shaping the next generation of UAVs

The long-endurance SULE HALE-UAS was part of a NASA project with the U.S. Forest Service to help fight wildfires. Source: Swift Engineering

Autonomous systems are rewriting the playbook for unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. What was once the domain of science fiction is now unfolding. Drones are flying themselves, making split-second decisions, and executing missions with a level of precision no human pilot can rival.

Today’s technologies are obliterating old limitations at breakneck speed...