It was the moment hundreds of Californians thought their science-fiction nightmares had come true. There, racing across the morning sky high above the Mojave Desert, was a flying saucer with wings. Alarmed locals phoned the police to report that they had spotted a UFO. Officers told them not to worry. They had infact witnessed one of the maiden flights of America's first pilotless spy plane. During its twenty minute spin from nearby Edwards Air Force Base, the Tier III Minus DarkStar High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - UAV for short - climbed 5,000ft and did everything the scientists had asked of it. The U.S. Military plans to use it for reconnaissance in heavily defended areas, operating at a range of 500 miles for eight hours at a time at heights up to 45,000 ft.

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