The Mental Transformation of Battle Worn UAV Pilots

Abstract

In the history of mankind, the cradle of device manufacturing and the development and testing of new technologies has (almost) always been the military and the warfare. Unmanned aerial vehicles were first used as target aircraft for air defence forces, but as they were adapted and
developed to meet emerging needs, it was realised, that these autonomous vehicles could not only be ‘sacrificial lambs’, but could also be wolves in their own right. It is scary to think where the developments could lead. Will it ever happen that, like wolves in a pack, these fighting organisms will swarm in a bonded, autonomous way to accomplish their mission? While we ponder this, the reader can learn about the local wars of the past and the experiences of unmanned aerial vehicles in action. The authors then go on to describe, through true stories,
what drone operators go through, what they their experience during a mission and how it affects their mental state and health.