Before the September 11th attacks, the US military had only about 50 combat drones. Now that number has grown to over 7,500 as the remotely-controlled aircraft have been deployed across the globe in America's endless war on terrorism.

 

The military-industrial complex is rushing to cash in as the demand for expensive drones has syrocketed - both for the growing demand among other nations and US police surveillance agencies.

 

"It's going to be the next big revolution in aviation. It's coming," says Dan Elwell, the Aerospace Industries Association's vice president for civil aviation. [...]

Congress has told the FAA that the agency must allow civilian and military drones to fly in civilian airspace by September 2015. This spring, the FAA is set to take a first step by proposing rules that would allow limited commercial use of small drones for the first time. [...]

The aerospace industry forecasts a worldwide deployment of almost 30,000 drones by 2018, with the United States accounting for half of them.