New Army radar could put drones in domestic airspace in 2014
US Army
The GBSAA is a 3-D radar system that tracks every craft in range, calculates the likelihood of conflict, and suggests a course correction if necessary. The Army tested it in a series of "vignettes," in which real aircraft were used to invade the drone's operational space, and they say the new system passed with flying colors.
Viva Austin, product director for the Army's Unmanned Systems Airspace Integration program, described the difficulty of producing anything like a threat to the system:
Air traffic control keeps people separated so well, it was kind of hard to put yourself in a really stressing situation and test those algorithms out really well. It was very safe and we demonstrated that the system and the test bed was really successful.
The only reservation they had with the tests was that the GBSAA would suggest flight paths that would not normally be taken by pilots — for instance, it might pick a safe route that veers north, while a pilot would veer south because it's more towards base, or away from restricted airspace.
If things go well, drones could be flying above a number of US forts as early as March of 2012. This doesn't mean they'll be hovering outside your window, but it is a step in that direction. Privacy and reasonable use by the authorities will be a completely different set of decisions and legislation, though; first they have to be air-legal, then they can be put to use.