Says The Sobriquet Carries Negative Connotations

The UAV industry doesn't want the media to use the word "drone" when referring to unmanned aircraft.

And they mean it. Media representatives logging onto the WiFi at the AUVSI conference in Washington, D.C. last week were given the password "DONTSAYDRONES" for accessing the wireless network.

AUVSI says that the word "drone" conjures up negative images for the average citizen. Michael Toscano, president of the organization, told Breaking Defense that the image of a weaponized, large, and autonomous aircraft commonly associated with the word "drone" is not only inaccurate, but damaging to the industry.

He said that using the phrase "drone strike" is also a misnomer. "They're really just air strikes," he said. "That launching of that missile is done by a human being, regardless of where the human being is sitting."

Toscono says an unmanned aerial system is made up of several parts, and the aircraft is only one component of the system. The most important piece, he said, "is the human being" controlling the aircraft.

But Toscano may be fighting a losing battle. Even among exhibitors at the AUVSI show, Northrop Grumman was handing out calendars featuring the new X-47B with the title "The rise of the superdrones" while at the same time complaining about the use of the word. Another exhibitor was Huntington Beach, CA-based "Allied Drones."

FMI: www.auvsi.org