Stealth Army

Drones are getting more powerful, more accurate and a lot smaller

Boeing

The hot military trend is something the Department of Defense isn't exactly known for: economy. It's a new era, indeed. Today's generals and admirals want weapons that are smaller, remote-controlled and bristling with intelligence.

In short, more drones that can tightly target terrorists, deliver larger payloads and are some of the best spies the U.S. has ever produced, even if they occasionally get captured in Iran or crash on landing at secret bases.

Drones had a big year in 2011, and their stock continues to rise because another big buzzword is persistence, the ability of a drone or satellite to simply...

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