First of all, what is a drone? Basically, a drone is a plane without a pilot — an “unmanned plane”. Drones can be controlled by a pre­programmed computer or a pilot in a control center.

　　Compared with piloted aircraft, drones have many advantages. Drones are cheaper to buy and easier to handle. Because there is no human pilot in the plane, they can keep military personnel out of harm's way. And they can stay in operation for much longer periods of time. Above all, they can attack the target with greater accuracy, thus greatly reducing damage to civilians and buildings.

　　Military drones have two principal uses. First, they're used for surveillance. The technology for this is known as the “Gorgon Stare” — a video capture device with nine cameras which can take in a 4­by­4 kilometers area. Drones are also used to strike targets, either buildings or people. For example, in Yemen in September 2011, a drone was used to kill a terrorist called Anwar al­Awlaki, who was accused of being organizational leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

　　However, military use of drones is controversial in many countries. Many people argue that drones often kill civilians by mistake. Since 2008, U. S. drone strikes in Pakistan have killed at least 67 civilians. Others think that the use of drones puts fighting wars on a similar level to video games, making it too easy and diminishing ethical(伦理) decisions.

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