Robocopter arrives

Unmanned attack aircraft, such as Predator and Reaper, have become a familiar part of modern warfare.

But an army, famously, marches on its stomach, and campaigns can be lost as easily by a lack of supply as by a lack of firepower.

That, combined with the increasing squeamishness of rich countries about taking casualties, is leading to the use of a new type of drone in the form of unmanned helicopters to deliver supplies.

Pioneered by the armed forces, these hovering robots will also find civilian roles.

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