Unmanned combat aerial vehicle
An unmanned combat aerial vehicle, also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle that carries aircraft ordnance such as air-to-surface missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, and/or aerial bombs on hardpoints or within weapons bay, allowing it to perform tactical attacks known as drone strikes. Some new UCAVs gained the capability for beyond-visual-range air-to-air combat when retains the drone strike capability. UCAVs are used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, attacking high-value targets and prolonged loitering before needing to return to base, unlike kamikaze drones, which are single-use drones made for physically ramming into a target and exploding on impact; or surveillance drones, which are unarmed drones used only for aerial reconnaissance and gathering intelligence.
Aircraft of this type have no onboard human pilot, but are usually under real-time remote control by human operators, with varying levels of automation. As the operator runs the vehicle from a remote terminal via radio control, equipment necessary to support an on-board human pilot is not needed, resulting in a lower weight and a smaller size than a manned aircraft for the same payload. Many countries have operational domestic UCAVs, and many more have imported fighter drones or are in the process of developing them.
Technological advancements are rapidly expanding the capabilities of UCAVs with a primary focus on enhanced autonomy and sophisticated artificial intelligence. Several UCAVs can perform complex functions such as autonomous sensor fusion, real-time target identification and dynamic mission re-planning reducing the cognitive load on human operators. This evolution is central to modern network-centric warfare as UCAVs seamlessly integrate into combined architectures. By sharing data across platforms from satellites to ground units they create a fused, comprehensive battlespace picture that enables dramatically faster decision cycles which is a critical advantage in modern strategy. A significant new doctrinal is embodied in the development of loyal wingman capable UCAVs, designed to operate in collaborative teams with manned fighter jets. These drones can perform high-risk missions like electronic attack, forward reconnaissance or weapons delivery thereby shielding human pilots and acting as force multipliers. As global militaries increasingly invest in and deploy unmanned systems an arms race in countermeasures is concurrently accelerating. This includes the development of advanced electronic warfare suites, directed-energy weapons and anti-drone systems to disrupt, deceive or destroy UCAVs. This arms race ensuring that the battlefield of the future will be defined by this competition between UCAV platforms and the measures designed to defeat them.
History
First Attempts - 1940-1970
One of the earliest explorations of the concept of the combat drone was pioneered by two men: Lee de Forest who was an inventor and developer of early radio controlled devices and U.A. Sanabria who was an electrical engineer in the emerging field of television and commercial broadcasting. Their idea for a radio-command vehicle was featured in an article in a 1940 publication of Popular Mechanics. The modern military drone was the brainchild of John Stuart Foster Jr., a nuclear physicist of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. In 1971, Foster was a model airplane hobbyist and had the idea this hobby could be applied to building weapons. He drew up plans and by 1973 DARPA built two prototypes called "Prairie" and "Calera". They were powered by a modified lawn-mower engine and could stay aloft for two hours while carrying a load.Israel Takes the Lead: Yom Kippur War and Lebanon War 1973-1982
In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel used unarmed U.S. Ryan Firebee target drones to spur Egypt into firing its entire arsenal of anti-aircraft missiles. This mission was accomplished with no injuries to Israeli pilots, who soon exploited the depleted Egyptian defences. In the late 1970s and 80s, Israel developed the Scout and the Pioneer, which represented a shift toward the modern lighter, glider-type model of UAV. Israel pioneered the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for real-time surveillance, electronic warfare, and decoys. The images and radar decoying provided by these UAVs helped Israel to completely neutralize the Syrian air defenses in Operation Mole Cricket 19 at the start of the 1982 Lebanon War, resulting in no pilots downed.Adolescence: US and Iran Explore New Capabilities and Evolving Technology 1980-1990
In the late 1980s, Iran deployed a drone armed with six RPG-7 rounds in the Iran–Iraq War.Impressed by Israel's success, the US quickly acquired a number of UAVs, and its Hunter and Pioneer systems are direct derivatives of Israeli models. The first 'UAV war' was the first Persian Gulf War: according to a May 1991 Department of the Navy report: "At least one UAV was airborne at all times during Desert Storm." After the Persian Gulf War successfully demonstrated its utility, global militaries invested widely in the domestic development of combat UAVs. The first "kill" by an American UAV was on October 7, 2001, in Kandahar.
Between 2004 to late 2012, the U.S. has increased its use of drone strikes against targets in Pakistan and elsewhere as part of the war on terror. In January 2014, it was estimated that 2,400 people were killed by U.S. drone strikes in five years. In June 2015, the total death toll of U.S. drone strikes was estimated to exceed 6,000.
In 2020, Turkey became the first country to use UCAVs in a large, coordinated attack on a conventional battlefield when it attacked forces in Syria. They were used to attack enemy positions, to provide cover for ground forces and to scout for artillery. Drones were used extensively in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan's use of cheaper Turkish TB2 drones was seen as crucial to their victory against the Armenian forces.
Drones were also used extensively during the Russo-Ukrainian war. The 2022 conflict was widely described as the first full-scale war featuring the large-scale use of small and commercial-grade UAVs in military settings. Consumer quadcopters and first-person view drones, modified with sensors and explosives, were being used for military missions. The affordability and availability of small UAVs have shifted modern warfare and given rise to new offensive and defensive strategies. Usage of small combat drones offers a cost advantage, and their high performance, reliability, and commercial availability for repair parts also contributed to their popularity.
By country
China
China manufactures and exports combat drones on a large scale, and the country is the source of most commercial UAV components. The People's Liberation Army military operates multiple types of unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Since 2010, Chinese drone companies have begun to export large quantities of drones to the global military market. Of the 18 countries that are known to have received military drones between 2010 and 2019, the top 12 all purchased their drones from China. The shift accelerated in the 2020s due to China's advancement in drone technologies and manufacturing, compounded by market demand from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Chinese companies that manufactures military unmanned aerial vehicles include China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, etc.China is known to be developing various "loyal wingman" UCAVs, such as AVIC Dark Sword, which is a concept first revealed in 2006. Stealth UCAV, such as Hongdu GJ-11 unmanned combat aerial vehicles, are designed to be controlled by the Chengdu J-20 fighter, forming manned-unmanned aircraft teams. Other stealth UCAVs include Feihong FH-97 UCAV developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It was designed to suppress air defenses with electronic countermeasures, fly ahead of aircraft to provide early warning, act as an expandable decoy, as well as provide reconnaissance and damage evaluation. Feihong FH-97A, a loyal wingman drone designed to fly alongside the fighter aircraft.
In August and September 2025, China unveiled multiple different types of UCAV and loyal wingmen prototype under development, and the naval variant of the Hongdu GJ-11 UCAV. These Chinese UCAV designs have different wing configurations and engine options, with some large UCAVs aimed to perform air superiority mission independently or collaboratively with manned aircraft.
In 2025, the first pictures of two very large stealthy long range drones appeared. They have been unofficially designated as the “WZ-X” and “GJ-X”.