Drone warfare is a form ofwarfare usingmilitary drones ormilitary robots. The robots may beremote controlled by a pilot or have varying levels ofautonomy during their mission. Types of robots includeunmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weaponized commercialunmanned aerial vehicles (UAV),unmanned surface vehicles (USV) orunmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), andunmanned ground vehicles (UGV).[1] UAVs, UGVs, USVs and UUVs are variously used for reconnaissance,kamikaze missions, bomb disposal, transporting cargo andmedical evacuation or may serve ananti-air,anti-armor oranti-personnel role.[2]China,France,Greece,India,Iran,Iraq,Israel,Italy,Pakistan,Poland,Russia,South Korea,Turkey, theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom andUkraine[3][4][5] are known to have manufactured operational UCAVs as of 2019.[6]
Drones can be used forelectronic warfare,explosive ordnance disposal,training and augmenting logistics but are most commonly utilized for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR), facilitating direct attacks ontarget as part of akill chain ormanned-unmanned teaming.[7] Aerial drone attacks can be conducted via purpose-built UCAVs deployingordnance during adrone strike or by weaponized commercial UAVs that drop munitions or crash into a target.[8] Heavy-lift drones may also be used toairlift supplies or transport wounded personnel across a battlefield.[9][10] Smaller drones, such asSUAVs andMAVs are man-portable and can be deployed for low-altitude, short-range support operations. Larger drones can serve a "mothership" role by deploying smaller, sub-drones or by being equipped with electronic warfare features such as asignal repeater.[11][12] Multiple drones may operate and attack simultaneously in adrone swarm[13] and autonomous drones, such asLAWs, utilizemilitary AI.
The early years of the 21st century saw most drone strikes beingconducted by the US military usingair-to-surface missiles against ground targets within countries such asAfghanistan,Libya,Pakistan,Somalia,Syria, andYemen during thewar on terror.[14] Drone warfare evolved and proliferated quickly in the 2010s and 2020s, with countries such asAzerbaijan,[15] China,Iran, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine utilizing drones with increased ubiquity. Militant groups, such as theIslamic State andHouthis, andorganized crime groups such asMexican cartels likewise used drones for attacks against adversaries and for logistical purposes. Since 2022, drone warfare has been extensively used in theRussian invasion of Ukraine by both sides, including long range fixed-wing drones, and short range multirotorFPV drones.[16][17] Scholars have described the conflict as the first "drone war", due to the large scale and high intensity of attacks, and agree on the major role drone warfare has inmodernconventional warfare.[18][19][20]
Acommercial UCAV is any commercially-produced UAV that is modified to carry such weapons asguided bombs,cluster bombs,incendiary devices,air-to-surface missiles,air-to-air missiles,anti-tank guided missiles or other types ofprecision-guided munitions,autocannons andmachine guns.[21] These weaponized civilian drones may proceed to fire munition or a missile, drop explosives and crash into ordetonate above vulnerable targets.[8] Payloads could include explosives such ashand grenades,mortarshells andIEDs or other dangerous materials such as shrapnel, chemical, radiological or biological hazards. These relatively cheap drones are also used for non-attack roles.Multirotor FPV drones have been used extensively by both armies foraerial reconnaissance andartillery spotting in theRusso-Ukraine War.[22]
Anti-UAV systems are being developed by states to counter the threat posed by commercial UCAVs.[23] According to James Rogers, an academic who studies drone warfare, "There is a big debate out there at the moment about what the best way is to counter these small UAVs, whether they are used byhobbyists causing a bit of a nuisance or in a more sinister manner by aterrorist actor."[24]
Estimates for the total number of people killed in U.S.drone strikes in Pakistan range from 2,000 to 3,500 militants killed and 158 to 965 civilians killed.[25][26] 81 insurgent leaders in Pakistan have been killed.[25]Drone strikes in Yemen are estimated to have killed 846–1,758 militants and 116–225 civilians.[27][28] 57Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leaders are confirmed to have been killed.[29]
In August 2018,Al Jazeera reported that aSaudi Arabian-led coalition combating Houthi rebels in Yemen had secured secret deals withal-Qaeda in Yemen and recruited hundreds of that group's fighters: "... Key figures in the deal-making said the United States was aware of the arrangements and held off on drone attacks against the armed group, which was created by Osama bin Laden in 1988."[30][31][32]
After US presidentDonald Trump had increased drone strikes by over 400%,[33][34][35] his successorJoe Biden reversed course. Under Biden, drone strikes reportedly decreased.[36][37][38][39] ABiden administrationdrone strike inKabul, Afghanistan in August 2021 killed 10 civilians, including seven children.[40] Later, a drone strike killedAl-Qaeda leaderAyman al-Zawahiri.[41]
By mid-2025, reports emerged that the U.S. military was lagging behind in evolving its drone warfare capabilities, particularly its production and deployment of small, low-cost first-person view UAVs akin to those seen during theRussian invasion of Ukraine. A July 2025 memo by defense secretaryPete Hegseth urged military leadership to accelerate the adoption of drones among troops.[42] In September 2025 the U.S. envoy toUkraine,Keith Kellogg, stated Ukraine had overtaken the U.S. in drone technology amid the Russo-Ukrainian war, as battlefield experience prompted continuous innovation in drones.[43] Defense industry executive Steve Siomi, the president of robotics defense companyAllen Control Systems, said China had overtaken the U.S. in responding to drone proliferation and argued that drone adoption made warfare more affordable for all combatants, including America's rivals.[44]
Scholarly opinions are mixed regarding the efficacy of drone strikes. Some studies support thatdecapitation strikes to kill a terrorist or insurgent group's leadership limits the capabilities of these groups in the future, while other studies contradict this. Drone strikes are successful at suppressing militant behavior, though this response is in anticipation of a drone strike rather than as a result of one. Data from the US and Pakistan's joint counter-terrorism efforts show that militants cease communication and attack planning to avoid detection and targeting.[45]
Proponents of drone strikes assert that drone strikes are largely effective in targeting specific combatants.[46] Some scholars argue that drone strikes reduce the amount ofcivilian casualties and territorial damage when compared to other types of military force like large bombs.[46] Military alternatives to drone strikes, such as raids and interrogations, can be extremely risky, time-consuming, and potentially ineffective. Relying on drone strikes does not come without risks as U.S. drone usage sets an international precedent onextraterritorial andextrajudicial killings.[46]
In Mexico,Drug cartel drone operators are called "droneros" who are known to use bomb-dropping drones on enemy targets.[47] The U.S has used drones to help conduct drug busts. The drones are implemented through secret missions to bust cartel leaders.[48]
UCAVs were used extensively by theAzerbaijani Army against theArmenian Army during the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[49] These UCAVs included IsraeliIAI Harops and TurkishBayraktar TB2s.[50] As the Bayraktar TB2 utilizesCanadian optics and laser targeting systems, Canada suspended export of its military drone technology to Turkey in October 2020 after allegations that the technology had been used to collect intelligence and direct artillery and missile fire at military positions. After the incident,Aselsan stated that it would begin the serial production and integration of the CATS system to replace the Canadian MX15B.[51]
The Economist has citedAzerbaijan's highly effective use of drones against Armenia in the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war andTurkey's use of drones in theSyrian Civil War as indicating the future of warfare. Noting that it had previously been assumed that drones would not play a major role in conflicts between nations due to their vulnerability to anti-aircraft fire, it suggested that while this might be true for major powers with air defenses, it was less true for minor powers. It noted Azerbaijani tactics and Turkey's use of drones as indicating a "new, more affordable type ofair power". It also noted that the ability of drones to record their kills enabled a highly effective Azerbaijani propaganda campaign.[15]
On 24 July 2025, theRoyal Thai Armed Forces launched coordinated drone strikes against theRoyal Cambodian Armed Forces in the disputed border area nearTa Muen Thom andTa Krabey. Using FPV drones, quadcopters, and one-way kamikaze UAVs, Thai forces targeted Cambodian command posts, ammunition depots, artillery positions, and communication lines. Analysts described the campaign as one of the most prominent uses of commercial multirotor drones in a state-on-state conflict since the war in Ukraine, challenging assumptions that such drones are ineffective in dense jungle terrain.[52][53]
On 9 September 2025, over a dozen Russian dronesbreached Polish airspace, prompting a NATOQuick Reaction Alert and Poland invokingArticle 4 of the NATO treaty. At least four of the drones were confirmed shot down. On 18 September Polish andUkrainian officials announced that the two countries would establish joint military training and production programs, as the Ukrainian military had emerged as a major pioneer in drone warfare in the years following the2022 Russian invasion.[54]
During the Russo-Ukrainian war, both sides used drones in combat and for reconnaissance, and drones played an important role in long-range bombing attacks and supporting ground assaults and offensives. Ukrainian forces extensively used the Turkish-madeBayraktar TB2 drone throughout the conflict in strikes against Russian forces. Russian forces meanwhile launched waves of IranianHESA Shahed 136 drones during theOctober 2022 missile strikes on Ukraine.[56] The main roles of drones in the war, however, are in reconnaissance andartillery spotting. Russian sources claimed to have used a "Stupor anti-drone rifle" to jam the radio controls of Ukrainian drones.[57]
On 13 October 2022, the first recorded instance of an unarmed drone-on-drone combat encounter occurred above theDonetsk region of Ukraine. A UkrainianDJI Mavic quadcopter was recorded ramming a Russian drone of the same model, resulting in the latter crashing towards the surface below.[58][59][60] Another instance of this aerial ramming tactic occurred on 24 November 2022, this time with the Russian DJI Mavic being recorded plummeting towards the ground after a collision with a Ukrainian drone.[61][62]On 9 May 2023, a Russian conscript surrendered to (or rather via) a Ukrainian drone.[63]The average HESA Shahed 136 drone is worth about $20,000. AnIRIS-T missile is worth about $430,000 each in comparison. From 13 September until 17 October, open source information suggests that Ukraine has had to spend $28.14 million on defending against these drones.[64][65]
Since at least September 2022, Ukraine has used blacknaval drones, equipped with theStarlink satellite internet system, to carry attacks on the RussianBlack Sea fleet at theSevastopol Naval base.[66][67][68][69] The naval drones were at first assumed to be for reconnaissance, but appear to carry munitions and act as a bomb.[70] With experts noting that the sensors on the front of the naval drone could be used as alaser range finder to help in targeting.[70] In late October 2022, seven of these drones were used to mount asuccessful drone attack on the Sevastopol Naval base.[66][71]
On 13 October 2022, a UkrainianMiG-29 became the first manned plane to go down during combat due to a drone. The pilot is claimed to have destroyed aShahed-136 drone with his cannon. The blast is believed to have brought the plane down and hospitalised the pilot.[72]
In September 2023, Ukrainian troops were reportedly using cardboard drones with GoPro cameras for aerial reconnaissance.[73]
Since the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine, approximately 30 companies in Ukraine have emerged to mass-produce drones for the war effort. TheUkraine government Ministry of Digital Transformation initiated the "Army of Drones" project and attempted to purchase up to 200,000 drones in 2023, aiming to deploy relatively cheap drones against large advantages Russia has had in military equipment. In 2023, they also sponsored several competitions where the "dozens of drone developers that have sprung up all over Ukraine" are invited to make simulated attacks on ground targets, or chasefixed-wing drones, or even participate in dronedogfight competitions.[74] One new model that has been successful is the "Baba Yaga" hexacopter, which can carry "44 pounds of payload".[75][76][77]
As of April 2024, Ukraine has started deploying manned aircraft, such as theAeroprakt A-22 Foxbat andYakovlev Yak-52, which uses snipers or machine guns to shoot down Russian drones.[78][79] Ukrainian drones have also been given a variety of improvised modifications for the express purpose of attacking and countering Russian drones; these include an instance in July 2024 where an FPV drone with a stick mounted to it was used to attack and eventually destroy aZALA 421-16E reconnaissance drone through repeatedaerial ramming.[80] In 2024drones controlled a through a tether with optical fiber became commonplace, thus avoiding radio jamming.[81]
On 31 July 2024, a RussianMi-8 helicopter was shot down over occupied Donetsk, by a Ukrainian FPV drone, the first time a helicopter in combat was destroyed by a drone. The Mi-8 was believed to have been attacked on the ground either during landing or take off.[82][83]
Russia launched the largest drone strike of the war on 25 November 2024, when it attacked Ukraine with 188 drones. Ukrainian forces shot down 76 and lost track of 96, likely due to electronic jamming. Other dronesstruck the energy grid and civilian homes.[84]
On 8 February 2025, Russian authorities reportedly discovered a plot in which a shipment of FPV drone headsets loaded with explosives were sent to Russian soldiers. Each headset had 10-15 grams of explosives and were programmed to detonate on activation. Officials compared it to the2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks by Israel.[85] Subsequent reports claimed 8 Russian FPV pilots lost their eyesight due to explosions between 4 and 7 February. The first explosion was reported on 4 February in the Belgorod oblast, subsequent explosions occurred in Kursk, Luhansk and Donetsk regions.[86]
The largest drone-and‑missile attack by Russia since the full‑scale invasion occurred on 18–25 May 2025, during which Russian forces launched approximately 1,000 aerial weapons against Ukraine, combining 355 Shahed drones, about 23 Iskander ballistic missiles, and over 60 air‑launched cruise missiles, including the X‑101 and X‑555. The assault hit Kyiv and multiple other regions, killing more than 15 civilians and injuring dozens, while dramatically increasing pressure on Ukraine’s air defenses and supply chains
On 1 June 2025, Ukrainian FPV drones smuggled into Russia were launched from trucks tostrike Russian airbases, includingBelaya andOlenya, destroying multiple Russian strategic bombers.[87]
Starting in August 2025, Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have caused afuel crisis in Russia.
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In June 2025, as part of the2025 Iran-Israel War, Iran launched several drone attacks on Israel in response to Israel's bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.[88]
In 2020, aTurkish-made UAV loaded with explosives detected and attackedHaftar's forces inLibya withartificial intelligence and without command, according to a report from theUN Security Council's Panel of Experts on Libya published in March 2021. It was considered the first attack carried out by an AI UAV.[89][90][91]
On 19 September 2025, amid thesiege of El Fasher during theSudanese civil war, aRapid Support Forces drone struck a mosque at anIDP camp, killing 75 people.[92] Sudan's paramilitary has also unleashed drone strikes on the city of Port Sudan. These strikes have been a part of the ongoing civil war in Sudan[93]
On 6 January 2018, Russian forces thwarted adrone (UAV) swarm attack on theKhmeimim Air Base, the first of this kind in the history of warfare.[13] The HTS, an Islamist group, utilized drone warfare to help take over Damascus on Dec. 8, 2024.[94]
On 7 October 2023,Hamas launchedincursions of southern Israel, using commercial drones to bomb Israeli guard towers before breaching theborder wall. Videos of Israeli troops and aMerkava IV tank being taken out by drones surfaced on the internet.[95][96] In 2025, there's an up-tick in drone usage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.[97]
On 25 March 2022, theHouthis launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on multiple Saudi energy facilities, including sites in Jeddah and Ras Tanura. The attacks temporarily disrupted oil production and caused fires at Aramco facilities.[98]
Between late 2023 and July 2024, during theGaza War, the Houthis carried out over 100 attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. These attacks used drones, missiles, and fast boats, targeting vessels linked to Israel, the U.S., and its allies.
Small drones and quadcopters have been used for strikes by theIslamic State in Iraq and Syria. A group of twelve or more have been piloted by specially trained pilots to drop munitions onto enemy forces. They have been able to evade ground defense forces.[99]
During thebattle for Mosul, the Islamic State was able to kill or wound dozens of Iraqi soldiers by dropping light explosives or 40-millimeter grenades from numerous drones attacking at the same time. Drone strikes were also used to destroy military supplies. Drone footage released by the Islamic State showed bombs being dropped on an ammunition facility located inDeir ez-Zor, Syria, an area of contested control between the Islamic State and the Syrian government at the time.[100]
In 2017,FBI DirectorChristopher Wray stated at a Senate hearing that "We do know that terrorist organizations have an interest in using drones ... We have seen that overseas already with some frequency. I think that the expectation is that it is coming here imminently."[99]
Drone expertBrett Velicovich discussed the dangers of the Islamic State utilizing off-the-shelf drones to attack civilian targets, claiming in an interview withFox News that it was only a matter of time before ISIS extremists use of drones to strike civilian targets would become more prevalent and sophisticated.[101]
The overall success rate for drone strikes used by the Islamic State is unclear. The Islamic State may have used drones as a way to gather footage for propaganda purposes rather than for their military value.[102]
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