Are Drone Strikes less Moral?

[Thumpalumpacus]

This is a topic which I am undecided on. A lot of people seem to think that the use of drones to attack stuff is inherently less moral than the use of manned aircraft. I'm not quite sure. There is something creepy in a dystopian novel sort of way about them but I can't really come up with a logical reason why they are less moral than using a manned aircraft to do the exact same thing. I'd like to get some people with better established or better informed opinions on it to weigh in one way or another.

I tend to think the more detachment then the less empathy required for the murder, which tends to increase the immorality---and frequency---of it. Thus:

Beheadings > Manned aircraft > Drones

I'd think a direct hit from a Tomahawk more moral than beheading, using the victim's suffering as a gauge.