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Unmanned Aircraft Systems

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An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that carries no human pilot or passengers. UAVs—sometimes called drones—can be fully or partially autonomous but are more often controlled remotely by a human pilot. RAND research has contributed to the public discussion on the use of drones for warfare and surveillance.

Report
Opportunities for the Brazilian Navy to Employ Additional Unmanned Systems
The Brazilian Navy needs to have both the capabilities and capacity to meet a wide range of demands over vast and diverse geographic areas. What are some of the potential ways the Brazilian Navy could use unmanned systems to improve effectiveness and, potentially, reduce risks and costs?
Aug 10, 2021
Report
Small Unmanned Aerial System Adversary Capabilities
It is difficult to detect, identify, classify, and—consequently—counter nefarious small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs), particularly in urban areas. As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security prepares for this potential threat, it will need to know the types of threat scenarios in which these systems could be used, which design elements are likely to be exploited by a nefarious actor, and which technologies and capabilities may be available in the near future.
Mar 12, 2020

Explore Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Journal Article
Aerial Minefields Can Put the 'Miss' in Missiles
The growing missile threat is the greatest tactical challenge of the early 21st century. Adversaries ranging from near-peer competitors to rebel groups increasingly can wield highly accurate missiles that can strike ships, ground forces, and key installations.
May 23, 2023
Commentary
What the Drone Strikes on the Kremlin Reveal About the War in Ukraine
False flag, special op, or fizzled attack—it may not be possible to get to the bottom of who launched drones at the Kremlin and why any time soon. But the incident and reactions it has elicited from the war's major players reveal just how important weaponized, long-range drones have become in this conflict.
May 4, 2023
Commentary
Coast Guard Leans Forward in New UxS Strategy but Faces Significant Challenges
The rise of unmanned systems creates a challenging landscape for the U.S. Coast Guard as it endeavors to conduct its diverse missions in the future. To address emerging technologies and prepare for forthcoming threats, the service recently released a strategic plan.
May 3, 2023
Report
Characterizing the Uncrewed Systems Industrial Base
The Department of Defense has hypothesized that future demand for uncrewed systems (UxS) will strain the capacity of the defense industrial base (DIB). This report contains an analysis of UxS demand and recommendations on strengthening the DIB.
Apr 26, 2023
Report
Russia's Asymmetric Response to 21st Century Strategic Competition: Robotization of the Armed Forces
The authors explore Russian views on the military applications of robotics and artificial intelligence and how they differ from the United States' views on the matter. They assess whether Moscow has delivered -- or can deliver -- its robotization vision.
Mar 13, 2023
Report
Characterizing the Performance of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
Analysts leveraged available data on performance of uncrewed aircraft system platforms to develop an approach to characterizing spray coverage as a function of payload, speed, endurance, and delivery and presenting performance parameters of interest.
Feb 6, 2023
Tool
Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa
Military weapons exports and private military and security contractors are important tools for projecting a country's influence around the world. How have China and Russia employed these tools across Africa in recent years?
Dec 13, 2022
Commentary
'Wonder Weapons' Will Not Win Russia's War
With its army increasingly in shambles, Russia has turned to attacking Ukraine's civilian infrastructure with Iranian-made drones in an effort to destroy Ukrainians' will to fight. These tactics will inflict pain on the Ukrainian population, but if history is any guide, they will not forestall a Russian defeat.
Nov 10, 2022
Tool
Where Has China Sent Weapons and Security Contractors?
China exported weapons to 38 countries from 2018 to 2021. It also exported private security contractors to protect and secure its interests in other countries, such as mining facilities and ports. A map of the exports shows China's expansive influence across Asia and Africa and into Latin America.
Aug 19, 2022
Report
Supporting Combat Power Projection Away from Fixed Infrastructure
The authors examine the logistics and sustainment aspects of an emerging operational concept for employing a family of unmanned aerial vehicles that can be launched, recovered, and sustained with minimal reliance on runways.
Jan 26, 2022
Report
Assessing the Value of Intelligence Collected by U.S. Air Force Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Platforms
Commanders, planners, and operators across the U.S. Air Force's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) enterprise face difficult decisions about how to best meet ISR needs. How can the U.S. Air Force better assess the value of airborne ISR?
Jun 11, 2021
Report
Comparing the Cost-Effectiveness of Expendable Versus Reusable Small Air Vehicles
When using small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), what are the relative costs of using expendable systems versus reusable systems? Research suggests they should be considered for a range of roles, including as decoys, jammers, or reconnaissance platforms.
Feb 23, 2021
Commentary
Drone-Era Warfare Shows the Operational Limits of Air Defense Systems
External powers have intervened in the civil wars in Libya and Syria, supplying advanced conventional weapons that have intensified the conflicts. But not all of the weapons have performed as claimed.
Jul 2, 2020
Report
Operating Low-Cost, Reusable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Contested Environments: Preliminary Evaluation of Operational Concepts
The authors of this report summarize early thinking and analysis about how the U.S. Air Force might employ a force of "attritable"—low-cost and reusable—unmanned aerial vehicles in a demanding conventional warfighting scenario.
May 11, 2020
Blog
Coronavirus Outbreak, Drones, the U.S. Power Grid: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the intensifying coronavirus outbreak, cyber threats from drones, the vulnerabilities of the U.S. power grid, and more.
Mar 6, 2020
Report
How to Analyze the Cyber Threat from Drones
Unmanned aerial systems—drones—have become more common, more readily available, and more sophisticated. And they have new capabilities, such as increased data collection and autonomous behavior. Their cybersecurity implications demand a coherent strategy.
Mar 5, 2020
Blog
When Driverless Cars Were a Remote Idea
Researchers at RAND have been working on the technology behind driverless vehicles for over 50 years. From 1968 to the present, studies have involved remote-controlled drones, military land vehicles, autonomous submarines, and the safety and liability issues of self-driving cars.
Nov 1, 2019
Blog
The Syria Withdrawal, Climate Policy, Drones: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the effects of the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, one expert's take on climate policy, how drones could help get blood to soldiers who need it, and more.
Oct 25, 2019

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RAND Topic:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Brien Alkire

Senior Researcher

Brien Alkire is a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He leads and conducts research in C4ISR and national security space policy. He serves as director, Staff Development and Education in Project AIR FORCE, and was previously an associate…
Sherrill Lingel

Director, Force Modernization and Employment Program, RAND Project Air Force

Sherrill Lingel is director of the Force Modernization and Employment Program within RAND Project Air Force (PAF), and a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation. She spent three years as a field analyst reporting directly to Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) leadership. She was a department director of…

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