Drone warfare

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Drone warfare is a form of warfare using robots. Robot types include unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weaponized commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned surface vehicles, and ground based drones.^[1] The United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, China, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, Italy, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Poland^[2][3][4] are known to have manufactured operational UCAVs as of 2019.^[5]

Drone attacks can be conducted by commercial UCAVs dropping bombs, firing a missile, or crashing into a target.^[6] In the early years of the 21st century, most drone strikes were carried out by the US military in such countries as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya using air-to-surface missiles.^[7] Drone warfare has been increasingly deployed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and by militant groups such as the Houthis.^[8] Observers have described drone warfare as one of the most significant innovations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, beginning in 2022,^[9] and one that characterized the war.^[10]