Unmanned aircraft flock over New Mexico

SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (KRQE) - They are not birds and not really planes, but instead something called "UAVs".

That's short for "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles".

Wednesday morning, four of the small robotic aircraft made the skies just north of Albuquerque look a little bit like the skies over Afghanistan and Iraq.

They were patrolling over the Rio Grande bosque and beaming back live surveillance images.

The occasion was an annual national UAV convention organized by the Technical Analysis and Applications Center (TAAC) from New Mexico State University.

Never before had there been a UAV "air show" quite like this in open American airspace.

Hundreds of UAV industry experts watched the aerial robots sail over the Rio Grande valley from the Tamaya Resort at Santa Ana Pueblo.

The four models of airborne surveillance machines flying at the conference use ultra quiet "electric" motors to aid in their stealth. They also beamed down live video.

A small hovering UAV called the Air Robot uses four ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber blades and a battery to propel it into the sky.

"This particular one is a weight of only 2 pounds, meaning it's one of the smallest there are," said Thomas Meyer of Air Robot headquarters. "This particular system is powered by a battery. It can stay airborne for about 30 minutes."

Previously relegated to the military, UAVs are now being marketed to law enforcement, fire and rescue and other agencies.

They can do a variety of civilian tasks including not only surveillance but also aerial mapping and surveys.

All are far more complicated than their radio-controlled civilian cousins flown on weekends by RC model aircraft enthusiasts.

The UAVs are packed with computers and satellite-guided navigation to make them easier to fly and more accurate in targeting.

"Most folks who have experience with video games these days have no issue with picking up the operation of these," Scott Newburn of Aerovironment said.

Before they can freely fly alongside private and commercial aircraft, the FAA wants to make sure they can avoid collisions.

"They need some sort of system to look for those other things that might be in the air, or tall buildings or whatever and make sure you don't run into them," said Steve Hottman of NMSU.

To that end, designers of UAVs often include radar or other air traffic- and obstacle-detection devices.

Developments in those technologies were some of the subjects being covered in technical sessions at the conference.

NMSU is home to the country's only dedicated UAV test airspace.

The university's UAV lab will someday help test the world's largest robotic flyer with a wingspan of 400 feet.