UAVs to embark on anti-IED mission

The Defense Department is fielding a helicopter unmanned aerial vehicle that can scout for improvised explosive device bomb-layers or follow their vehicles on the ground, reports Air Force Times. 

Called the Yellow Jacket, the aircraft is one of three counter-IED UAVs slated to enter service next year. The other two are the Copperhead, which features a miniaturized synthetic aperture radar, and the Sentinel Hawk, an infrared-sensing UAV.

The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization is working with military and scientific labs to bring the systems to the battlefield.