"As one defense official said last year, "UAVs are well-suited for the dull, dirty and dangerous missions" because of their use in very long missions, in areas that might be "dirty" due to chemical or biological weapons and "dangerous" because of the risk factor involved in flying into some areas.
They are not, however, any cheaper to operate. According to the Pentagon, an armed Predator costs as much as a manned aircraft, as its operation involves a sophisticated command-and-communications system."
Strangely, a Chinese
newspaper [!] had good data
on the Predator.
Short-term acquisition costs for the initial system may be just as expensive, but the long-term operational costs will be significantly lower unless the military engages in some truly boneheaded personnel and operations policies.