What’s in a name?

‘Piloting’ unmanned aerial vehicles

The most intriguing personnel management issue faced by advanced defence forces in recent years has been the ‘piloting’ of unmanned aerial vehicles. Among other things, it seems to have challenged the self-image of air forces’ ruling class.

An insight into the not-inconsiderable politics of the matter can be found in the tangled debate over what precisely unmanned aerial platforms should be called.