http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/7388585

Death by a thousand cuts micro-air vehicles in the service of Air Force missions

"Technological progress in a number of areas to include aerodynamics, micro-electronics, sensors, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and micro-manufacturing, is ushering in the possibility for affordable development and acquisition of a new class of military systems known as micro-air vehicles (MAV). MAVs are a subset of uninhabited air vehicles (UAV) that are up to two orders of magnitude smaller than the manned systems that permeate our contemporary life. Recent advances in miniaturization may make possible vehicles that can carry out important military missions that heretofore were beyond our reach or could only be attained at great risk or resource expenditure. These missions will be possible if MAVs can fulfill their potential to attain certain attributes to include: low cost, low weight, little to no logistical "footprint," mission versatility, range, endurance, stealth, and precision ... This paper provides an outline of the contemporary technological dimension of MAVs and contemplates how they might be used to enhance Air Force operations."--Abstract.

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