UAV Makers Expect U.S. Defense Demand to Continue

December 17, 2011

DAYTON -- The recent crashes of U.S. unmanned military drones in Iran and Seychelles won't be major setbacks to America's unmanned aircraft program, a defense industry analyst said.

"Unmanned systems, people recognize, are more liable to crash than other aircraft," said Philip Finnegan, an analyst with Teal Group Corp. in Fairfax, Va. "They're too expensive to be expendable. The goal is to bring them back."

"But, at the same time, there's a recognition that the loss of an unmanned system doesn't involve a loss of life"? Finnegan said.

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