As military technology has advanced, the imperative to minimize the risk to servicemembers has driven the development and increasingly widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), commonly referred to as drones.
Military drones can be operated remotely from a safe distance, making them suitable for surveillance and bombing missions that carry no risk to life – at least for the pilots. Over 100 nations have established military drone programs. Major military powers like China, Russia, and the United States continuously advance and innovate their drone fleets to ensure they possess the most effective and formidable aerial vehicles.
As military technology has advanced, military leaders have searched for a way to take out targets without putting troops in harm’s way. This has led to the development and use of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones.
These vehicles give militaries the option of bombing targets from the air with no pilot required, at least no pilot onboard. Over 100 countries have some kind of a military drone program, with military powers like China, Russia, and the U.S. constantly updating and innovating their fleets to have the fastest and most powerful drones in the skies.
To find some of the top military drones in the world today, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed several lists from HotCars, AutoJournalism.com, and from The Newsmen. Only drones currently in service or operationally ready were included. Drones are listed in alphabetical order (not considering the manufacturer name).
As with any cutting edge military technology, developing and procuring state-of-the-art drones is an expensive proposition. Military contractors have contracts worth millions – if not billions – of dollars to build drone fleets for militaries across the world. These are the companies profiting the most from war.
Though drone strikes keep pilots and soldiers out of the battlefield, this separation can lead to issues, and the use of drones is controversial. A number of botched U.S. drone strikes have killed civilians. Over the past two decades, drone strikes have killed hundreds if not thousands of non-combatants in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, according to groups like the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Amnesty International. (These are the wars in which the most Americans died.)
These are 13 of the world’s top military drones
TAI Aksungur
> Company: Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc
> Mostly used by: Turkish Armed Forces
> First flight:2019
> Range: 4,000 miles at 160 mph
> Payload capacity: 1,653 lb
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Source: Handout / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Altius-U
> Company: OKB Sokol
> Mostly used by: Russian Air Force and Navy
> First flight: 2016
> Range: 6,200 miles
> Payload capacity: 2,200 lb
24/7 Wall St.
TAI Anka
> Company: Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc
> Mostly used by: Turkish Air Force
> First flight: 2010
> Range: 900 miles at 127 mph
> Payload capacity: 772 lb
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
MQ-20 Avenger (formerly Predator C)
> Company: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
> Mostly used by: US Air Force
> First flight: 2009
> Range: N/A
> Payload capacity: 6,500 lb
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Bayraktar Akıncı
> Company: Baykar
> Mostly used by: Turkish Armed Forces
> First flight: 2019
> Range: 4,700 miles at 150 mph
> Payload capacity: 2,976 lb
Hermes 900
> Company: Elbit Systems
> Mostly used by: Israeli Air Force
> First flight: 2012
> Range: N/A, cruise speed: 70 mph
> Payload capacity: 770 lb
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Heron TP
> Company: Israel Aerospace Industries
> Mostly used by: Israel Defense Forces
> First flight: 1994
> Range: N/A, max speed: 129 mph
> Payload capacity: 551 lb
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
Hong Du GJ-11 Sharp Sword
> Company: Hongdu Aviation Industry Group
> Mostly used by: People’s Liberation Army Air Force (China)
> First flight: 2013
> Range: 2,485 miles at 621 mph
> Payload capacity: N/A
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
MQ-1C Gray Eagle
> Company: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
> Mostly used by: US Army
> First flight: 2004
> Range: N/A, max speed: 192 mph
> Payload capacity: 800 lb
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CASC Rainbow (CH-5)
> Company: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
> Mostly used by: China
> First flight: N/A
> Range: 6,213 miles at max 136 mph
> Payload capacity: 2,204 lb
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B)
> Company: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
> Mostly used by: US Air Force, US Customs and Border Protection
> First flight: 2001
> Range: 1,200 miles at 194 mph
> Payload capacity: 3,800 lb
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Source: VanderWolf-Images / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
CAIG Wing Loong II
> Company: Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group
> Mostly used by: People’s Liberation Army Air Force (China)
> First flight: 2017
> Range: N/A, cruise speed: 120 mph
> Payload capacity: 1,058 lb
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
X-47B
> Company: Northrop Grumman
> Mostly used by: US Navy
> First flight: 2011
> Range: 2,400 miles at Mach 0.45+ (high subsonic)
> Payload capacity: 4,500 lb
Yabhon United 40
> Company: Adcom Systems
> Mostly used by: United Arab Emirates Air Force
> First flight: N/A
> Range: N/A
> Payload capacity: N/A
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