We think of drones as a modern invention, but they've been part of warfare for longer than you think. Here's a look at the evolution of drones and the way they've changed how war works.

我們都把無(wú)人機(jī)當(dāng)做是現(xiàn)代的新發(fā)明，但它們參戰(zhàn)的歷史可是遠(yuǎn)比你想象得要長(zhǎng)。以下展現(xiàn)的就是無(wú)人機(jī)的演進(jìn)發(fā)展歷史，以及它們是如何改變戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)方式的。





1917: Sperry Aerial Torpedo

1917：斯皮里“空中魚(yú)雷”式

Toward the end of World War I, powered flight was in its infancy, the Wright brothers having flown their primitive biplane across the dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, a little over a decade earlier. But it was a time of stunning innovation. In 1917, Peter Cooper and Elmer A. Sperry invented the first automatic gyroscopic stabilizer, which straightens and levels out aircraft during flight, and unmanned flight was born. The new technology was used to convert a U.S. Navy Curtiss N-9 trainer aircraft into the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), controlled by radio. For 50 miles in test flights, the Sperry Aerial Torpedo flew with a 300-pound bomb, but it was never used in combat.

動(dòng)力飛行器直到一戰(zhàn)末期時(shí)仍然處于其嬰兒期：萊特兄弟駕著他們那原始的雙翼機(jī)飛過(guò)北卡羅來(lái)納州基蒂霍克的沙丘也不過(guò)是十年之前的事兒。但這同樣是一個(gè)充斥著奇妙發(fā)明的時(shí)代。1917年，彼得.庫(kù)伯和艾爾姆.A.斯皮里發(fā)明了第一臺(tái)自動(dòng)陀螺穩(wěn)定儀，該裝置可以幫助飛機(jī)在飛行時(shí)保持平直向前，無(wú)人飛行從此誕生了。美國(guó)海軍采用了這一新技術(shù)，將他們的一架柯蒂斯N-9式教練機(jī)改裝成了世界上第一架無(wú)人飛行載具（UAV）——當(dāng)時(shí)是用無(wú)線電波來(lái)控制的。斯皮里“空中魚(yú)雷”式在飛行測(cè)試中掛載一枚300磅重的炸彈飛行了50英里，但它卻從來(lái)沒(méi)有參加過(guò)戰(zhàn)斗。




1917: Kettering Aerial Torpedo

1917：凱特林“空中魚(yú)雷”式

The wooden Kettering Aerial Torpedo, nicknamed the "Kettering Bug," cost $400 in 1917 and could haul 300 pounds. General Motors' Charles F. Kettering, who designed the Bug, crafted it to launch from a trolley with rolling wheels and gave it detachable wings. Toward the end of World War I, the U.S. military placed orders for large shipments of Kettering Bugs, but the war ended before they were used.

凱特林“空中魚(yú)雷”式也被昵稱為“凱特林小飛蟲(chóng)”，這種木制飛機(jī)在1917年的造價(jià)為400美元，載重為300磅。這種“小蟲(chóng)”由通用公司的查爾斯.F.凱特林設(shè)計(jì)，飛機(jī)配有可拆卸機(jī)翼，并且可以從自帶滾輪的小車上起飛。到一戰(zhàn)末期時(shí)，美國(guó)軍方為“凱特林小飛蟲(chóng)”下了大批訂單，但還未來(lái)得及投入使用，戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)就已經(jīng)結(jié)束了。




1935: DH.82B Queen Bee

1935：DH.82B“蜂后”式

Until 1935, UAVs could not return to their original launching point, so they couldn't be reused. With the invention of the Queen Bee, drones could return to their senders, making them significantly more practical. Peaking at 17,000 feet and traveling a 100 mph maximum, Queen Bees were used in the British Royal Navy and Air Force until 1947.

直到1935年以前為止，當(dāng)時(shí)的無(wú)人機(jī)在起飛后都無(wú)法回到原點(diǎn)，所以沒(méi)法對(duì)其加以再利用。隨著“蜂后”式的問(wèn)世，無(wú)人機(jī)得以返回其起飛點(diǎn)，這就在很大程度上使得它們變得更為實(shí)用了?！胺浜蟆笔降娘w行高度達(dá)17,000英尺，最大速度為100英里/小時(shí)，它在英國(guó)皇家海軍和皇家空軍中一直服役到了1947年。





1944: V-1 (Revenge Weapon-1)

1944：V-1（復(fù)仇武器1號(hào)）

Adolf Hitler wanted a flying bomb to use against nonmilitary targets, so in 1944 a German engineer, Fieseler Flugzeuhau, designed this 470 mph flying drone. A predecessor to today's cruise missiles, the V-1, which became known as the Vergeltungswaffe, or Revenge Weapon-1, was intended to be used to bomb the British Isles. The V-1 could carry substantially more weight than its predecessors and frequently towed warheads up to 2,000 pounds. Before releasing its bombs, which killed more than 900 civilians in Britain, the V-1 would travel a preprogrammed 150 miles after its launch off a catapult ramp.

阿道夫.ＸＴＬ想要用一種會(huì)飛行的炸彈來(lái)對(duì)付非軍事目標(biāo)，于是在1944年時(shí)，一個(gè)名叫弗萊舍.弗魯岑豪的德國(guó)工程師設(shè)計(jì)了這種飛行速度為470英里/小時(shí)的無(wú)人機(jī)。V-1是現(xiàn)代巡航導(dǎo)彈的先驅(qū)，得名于“Vergeltungswaffe”——即“復(fù)仇武器”1號(hào)，當(dāng)時(shí)準(zhǔn)備用來(lái)轟炸英倫諸島。V-1的載重量大大超越了它的前輩，而且攜帶的彈頭往往都達(dá)到了2000磅。V-1從發(fā)射斜坡上起飛之后會(huì)先按照預(yù)定軌道飛行150英里，然后再釋放戰(zhàn)斗部，有900名以上的英國(guó)平民死于V-1之手。

（譯者注：此處存疑，V1實(shí)際上造成的傷亡超過(guò)兩萬(wàn)，而圖中的這架飛行器也與我們所熟知的V1大不一樣，希望熟悉這方面歷史的朋友幫忙解惑）




1955: Ryan Firebee

1995：瑞安“火蜂”式

Manufactured by Ryan Aeronautical Company, the first Firebee prototype, the XQ-2, was created in 1951 and first took flight four years later. Used primarily by the U.S. Air Force, the Firebee was one of the first jet-propelled drones. The unmanned craft were used for intelligence-gathering missions and radio-communications monitoring.

瑞安飛機(jī)公司于1951年制造了第一架“火蜂”原型機(jī)XQ-2，并在四年后實(shí)現(xiàn)了首飛。火蜂作為世界上第一種噴氣動(dòng)力無(wú)人機(jī)，被美國(guó)空軍率先裝備。這種無(wú)人機(jī)被用來(lái)執(zhí)行情報(bào)收集和監(jiān)聽(tīng)無(wú)線信號(hào)的任務(wù)。




1963: Lockheed M-21 and D-21

1963：洛克希德M-21與D-21

The M-21, a variant of the A-12, the earliest in the Blackbird family, was a craft used to launch the Lockheed D-21, a higher-flying drone. The M-21 and D-21 were created as part of a project from 1963 until 1968 and kept secret for more than 40 years. The M-21 had an improved design that included a second cockpit for a launch control operator, and together the two designs were used in four missions between 1969 and 1971 to spy on the Lop Nur nuclear test site. The 21s were canceled in 1966 after a collision during a launch between a D-21 drone and the M-21 mother ship.

M-21是A-12的型號(hào)之一，也是黑鳥(niǎo)家族中問(wèn)世最早的一款型號(hào)，這型飛機(jī)被用來(lái)發(fā)射洛克希德的一款高空無(wú)人機(jī)——D-21。M-21和D-21誕生于1963-1968年之間那場(chǎng)秘密項(xiàng)目的一個(gè)子工程中，該項(xiàng)目在后來(lái)的40多年中始終保持機(jī)密狀態(tài)。M-21的設(shè)計(jì)比起之前來(lái)得到了不少改進(jìn)，其中包括為發(fā)射控制員新增加的一個(gè)副駕駛艙。在1969-1971年之間，這兩款型號(hào)的飛機(jī)在羅布泊核試驗(yàn)場(chǎng)上空一起執(zhí)行了4次間諜任務(wù)。1966年，一架D-21無(wú)人機(jī)在發(fā)射時(shí)與M-21母機(jī)相撞，此后這個(gè)“21家族”就退出了歷史舞臺(tái)。




1986: The Pioneer RQ-2A

1986：“先鋒”RQ-2A

First launched in December 1986, the Pioneer UAV system -- which gives the tactical commander images of a specific target or battleground image in real time -- performs a wide variety of "reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition" tasks, according to the U.S. Navy. It was first used in the late 1980s when military operations in Grenada, Lebanon, and Libya required a system of unmanned targeting at a low cost. The Pioneer, still in use today, is launched by a rocket-assisted takeoff, weighs 416 pounds, and travels at over 109 miles per hour. It can float, and can be recovered from sea landings.

“先鋒”無(wú)人機(jī)系統(tǒng)于1986年12月實(shí)現(xiàn)首飛，它能夠?yàn)閼?zhàn)地指揮官們提供特定目標(biāo)或戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)的實(shí)時(shí)圖像——按照美國(guó)海軍的說(shuō)法，它能夠執(zhí)行包括“偵察、監(jiān)視和目標(biāo)獲取”在內(nèi)的一系列任務(wù)?！跋蠕h”于1980年代末期首次投入使用，它在格林納達(dá)、黎巴嫩和利比亞的軍事行動(dòng)中以較低的損失滿足了軍方以無(wú)人機(jī)獲取目標(biāo)的要求。“先鋒”至今仍在服役，它由一個(gè)火箭助推器發(fā)射升空，負(fù)重為416磅，每小時(shí)飛行速度超過(guò)109英里。它可以在空中懸停，而且即使是降落在海上之后也可以回收。




1994: MQ Predator drone

1994：MQ“捕食者”無(wú)人機(jī)

General Atomics manufactured the MQ Predator drone in 1994. This updated version allows the Predator to transition from a strictly reconnaissance role to a critical ability to transport and launch weapons at targets. More than 125 Predators have been delivered to the U.S. Air Force and six are in use by the Italian Air Force. Predator UAVs have been operational in Bosnia since 1995 to aid NATO, U.N., and U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but are gradually being phased out.

1994年，通用公司開(kāi)始生產(chǎn)MQ“捕食者”無(wú)人機(jī)?！安妒痴摺钡淖钚滦吞?hào)已經(jīng)從一種純粹的偵察用機(jī)變成了可以攜帶武器并攻擊目標(biāo)的飛機(jī)，而這種能力是非常重要的。迄今為止已經(jīng)有125架以上的“捕食者”移交給了美國(guó)空軍，還有6架則在意大利空軍中服役。從1995年開(kāi)始，“捕食者”無(wú)人機(jī)就被北約和聯(lián)合國(guó)用于執(zhí)行在波斯尼亞的任務(wù)，后來(lái)也參加了美國(guó)在伊拉克和阿富汗的軍事行動(dòng)，不過(guò)目前正在逐漸退出現(xiàn)役。




2004: RQ-7B Shadow 200

2004：RQ-7B“暗影”200

The smallest of a family of drones, the RQ-7B Shadow is used today by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan. The system can locate and identify targets up to 125 km away from the tactical operations center, which allows brigade commanders to see, interoperate, and act swiftly. Widely used in the Middle East, by May 2010, these drones had clocked some 500,000 hours in flight.

RQ-7B“暗影”是無(wú)人機(jī)大家族中最袖珍的型號(hào)，目前在駐伊拉克和阿富汗的美國(guó)陸軍和海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)中服役。該系統(tǒng)可以對(duì)距離戰(zhàn)術(shù)行動(dòng)中心125千米之外的目標(biāo)進(jìn)行定位和識(shí)別，從而使得旅一級(jí)的指揮官們能夠更為迅速地進(jìn)行觀察、指揮和行動(dòng)。這款無(wú)人機(jī)在中東的用途很廣泛，截至2010年5月，其飛行總時(shí)數(shù)已達(dá)500,000小時(shí)。




2005: Fire Scout Firing Rocket

2005：“火力偵察兵”無(wú)人直升機(jī)正在發(fā)射火箭

The Fire Scout, an unmanned helicopter known for its ability to autonomously take off and land from any aviation-capable warship and at unprepared landing zones, was created by the U.S. military in the early 2000s. Here, the Fire Scout test fires 2.75-inch unguided rockets during weapons testing at Arizona's Yuma Proving Grounds.

“火力偵察兵”這款無(wú)人直升機(jī)以其能夠在任何適宜的軍艦上和不適宜的地表上自動(dòng)起降的能力而著稱，它是于2000年初由美軍開(kāi)發(fā)出來(lái)的。在此圖中，這架“火力偵察兵”正在試射2.75英寸非制導(dǎo)火箭彈，攝于亞利桑那州猶馬試驗(yàn)場(chǎng)的一次武器試驗(yàn)期間。

 


2009: RQ-170 Sentinel

2009：RQ-170 “哨兵”

Designed and manufactured by Skunk Works, a Lockheed Martin Corporation subsidiary, the RQ-170 Sentinel is used by the U.S. Air Force. Known as the "Beast of Kandahar" and frequently flying at an altitude of 50,000ft, the RQ-170 was first deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. In May 2011, the RQ-170 was deployed during the raid on the Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was located and killed. In December, another RQ-170 was captured by Iran and shown on Iranian television. This image displays the basic characteristics of the RQ-170: the winged design and 15,240 meter operating altitude.

RQ-170“哨兵”由洛克希德-馬丁的子公司“臭鼬工廠”設(shè)計(jì)制造，并裝備于美國(guó)空軍。RQ-170首次參戰(zhàn)是在阿富汗的“持久自由”行動(dòng)之中，它后來(lái)被稱為“坎大哈野獸”，飛行高度往往在50000英尺左右。2011年5月，RQ-170參加了對(duì)巴基斯坦阿伯塔巴德的突襲，藏身于此的奧薩馬.本.拉登在突襲中被擊斃。當(dāng)年12月，另一架RQ-170被伊朗俘獲并且被伊朗電視臺(tái)公之于眾。此圖展示了RQ-170的基本特征：飛行翼構(gòu)造以及15240米的飛行高度。


 

2010: Global Hawk

2010：“全球鷹”

The Global Hawk, a high-flying, long-endurance UAV used by the U.S. Air Force, has an integrated sensor that provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. First developed in 2001, the Global Hawk has made significant benchmarks in aviation history. Known as the first UAV to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean, the Global Hawk was authorized to fly in U.S. airspace for the first time in July 2006. Shown here, a full-scale model of the Global Hawk is displayed during a presentation in Tokyo.
       
“全球鷹”是美國(guó)空軍裝備的一種高空遠(yuǎn)程無(wú)人機(jī)，機(jī)上裝配有傳感器用以進(jìn)行情報(bào)采集、監(jiān)視和偵察任務(wù)。“全球鷹”于2001年開(kāi)始研制，在航空史上具有里程碑式的重大意義。2006年7月，“全球鷹”獲得了在美國(guó)領(lǐng)空飛行的許可，并從此成為世界上第一種能夠不經(jīng)停飛越太平洋的無(wú)人機(jī)。此圖中是“全球鷹”的一架全尺寸模型，攝于在東京舉辦的一次航展上。