Marine Corps Sgt. Deakon Thornton, an intelligence specialist with Light Armored Reconnaissance Detachment, Battalion Landing Team 2/6, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), launches a RQ20B Puma unmanned aerial system during an objective clearing exercise in Ravlunda, Sweden, Aug. 31, 2022. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd MEU, under the command and control of Task Force 61/2, is on a scheduled deployment in the Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by Sixth Fleet to defend , allied and partner interests. ( Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Armando Eliz


An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller and a system of communications with the UAV. The flight of UAVs may operate under remote control by a human operator, as remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA), or with various degrees of autonomy, such as autopilot assistance, up to fully autonomous aircraft that have no provision for human intervention. UAVs were originally developed through the twentieth century for military missions too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans, and by the twenty-first, they had become essential assets to most militaries. As control technologies improved and costs fell, their use expanded to many non-military applications. These include forest fire monitoring, aerial photography, product deliveries, agriculture, policing and surveillance, infrastructure inspections, entertainment, science,[ smuggling, and drone racing.


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