A recent unmanned rotorcraft was successfully tested late last year: The Northrop Grumman/Bell Helicoptor Fire-x. Most impressive for this demonstration was the length of time taken from concept to initial success: less than a year.
Key to this success was the use of the existing Bell 407 platform and a "de-manning" of the vehicle so pilot could be replaced by computer. The UAV was not designed from scratch; the vehicle was enhanced by adding this capability.
A key trend in UAV development will be the use of existing platforms to meet particular tenders such as cargo or intelligence gathering.