Le Drone

The drone is a concept for aircraft, boats or helicopters are piloted remotely, without pilot inside. The concept of drone was born during and after the First World War: prototypes of radio-controlled unmanned aircraft were created. it was first used as a weapon but since the early 2000s it has become a game for the population.

Now drone can easily replace a helicopter or a plane when army or the intelligence wants to collect information in the enemy camp. The drones are more discreet and can therefore get closer to the enemies. We can make se same observation in the cinema and television, because a photo took by a drone had the same quality than ones took by a helicopter but for lower price. It cost around 800$ per hour to fly a helicopter when a professional drone cost between 20000-30000$ but a drone is powered by electricity. The amount of a drone represents the equivalent of 31 hours of helicopter flight. Currently, drones are increasingly used in agriculture to analyse the soil composition and know where to spread more or less of fertilizer. This makes it possible to use less fertilizer and save money. In the building industry and in architecture, drones make it possible to inspect works more closely like bridges but it also allows to model in 3d old constructions that are too fragile to approach them. In the field of science, scientists use them to approach wild animals, inaccessible places. Relief also uses them to make a reconnaissance of the scene of a catastrophe to know what to expect.

recently, a social network to try to deploy drones to give internet access to remote areas without satellite coverage. Drones also interest transport and delivery companies as Amazon or DHL who tests drones to make emergency deliveries in areas hardly accessible such as island or villages. A most funny thing, we can now use drone to replace kite when the wind is too low to practice kite-surf.

Even with all these advantages, a drone can be very dangerous. If the atmospheric conditions are not good, too much wind, rain… the drone can easily fall and hurt people under. If its fall on a man, the propellers can seriously hurt or even kill him. Drone also danger for aircraft because there are too small for pilots to see them. If a drone collides with the plane, especially the reactors, the collision can cause the crash of the aircraft especially when landing or take-off. Drones, with their small size can go wherever they want, in the neighbour’s garden, in the house or worse. They can fly over sensitives areas like nuclear power stations, military bases or even the White House. This cause a real problem privacy and security. In 2015, Prince William obtained from the British Ministry of Transports the establishment of a “no fly zone” with a radius of 2.4 kilometres above the propriety in the Norfolk to protect their private life. In The other problem with drone is that they can be easily diverted into weapon like the IS jihadists who trap drones so that they explode over the liberation forces. In July 2015, an 18-year-old mechanical student, Austin Haughwout, from Clinton, Connecticut designed a drone equipped with an automatic pistol that can fire while flying. He was arrested by the US Federal Aviation Administration who is investigating his case. To counter this phenomenon, the Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden has decided to prohibit the use of remote controlled gears equipped with a camera. The last problem concerns the army. Indeed, the drone strikes arouse the wrath of some very human rights activists who consider that the fact that decisions to kill or not an enemy are taken by people who are not present on the ground, who do not risk their lives, is an act of cowardice and contrary to human rights.