Status of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Programs

In the next 5 years, about $700 million will be spent on remotely piloted vehicles (RPV), primarily for two Air Force projects--Compass Cope and Multimission--and one Army RPV--Aquila. These are being developed because Department of Defense officials believe RPVs are able to perform high-risk and politically sensitive missions more practically and inexpensively than piloted aircraft. Compass Cope is a large, high-altitude, long-range RPV, which is being developed at a cost of $160 million. The multimission RPV, called BGM-34C, medium-sized and shortrange, is being developed to replace single-mission, electronic warfare and reconnaissance RPVs. An advanced RPV is also being planned to replace the BGM-34C. The Army's Aquila RPV is being developed to demonstrate the use of small RPVs for tactical surveillance and target identification.