As a lover of flight and aviation, I am instinctually opposed to UAVs; however, they most certainly are viable tools for many of todays combat operations. I tend to think of them as "re-usable cruise missiles," lightweight weapon systems which can deploy lightweight payloads. The ability to drone about for hours without putting stress on an operator is quite valuable for FAC, though I would rather have the system operators in the general theater of operations so as to enhance communications between the operators and the given flight system.
However, for serious combat duty, however, I'll always side with manned aircraft, especailly for the purposes of transporting personnel.
