May 14, 2007: NATO does many things, and one of them is to invent, as needed, new military terms. Right now, there is a need for what to call a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) pilot. This is important because the UAV pilot is on the ground, and many of them are not capable of piloting manned aerial vehicle. For example, most of the UAVs in use are the under ten pound types, like the U.S. Army Raven. These are run ("piloted?") by young guys who have flown a lot in video games, but never in an actual aircraft.

 

So the NATO boffins have come up with the term "DUO" (Designated UAV Operator). Has a nice ring to it. Simple, to the point, and might catch on. It was developed by a committee, actually a subcommittee, which was looking into operational procedures and training for UAVs. Having the right acronym is important, too.