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Military Drones Present And Future: Visual Tour

By John Foley 01/03/2013 The Pentagon's growing fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles ranges from hand-launched machines to the Air Force's experimental X-37B space plane.

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10 Miles High

Boeing's liquid-hydrogen powered Phantom Eye completed its first test flight in June 2012 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. With its 150-foot wingspan, the UAV climbed to just over 4,000 feet at a speed of 62 knots. Phantom Eye's environmentally friendly propulsion system (its "exhaust" is water) will let it stay aloft 10 miles high for up to four days. But watch out below: Upon landing, the vehicle's landing gear dug into the lake bed and was damaged.

Image credit: Boeing

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