An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs were originally developed for military missions that were too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans, but their use has expanded to many non-military applications such as aerial photography, precision agriculture, forest fire monitoring, river monitoring, environmental monitoring, policing and surveillance, infrastructure inspections, smuggling, product deliveries, entertainment, and drone racing.
The term UAV is defined as a "powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload". UAVs can be controlled either autonomously by on-board computers or by the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle. The term unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) emphasizes the importance of other elements beyond the aircraft itself, such as the equipment necessary for the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft.
The terms drone, UAV, and UAS are often used interchangeably, but there are some differences between them. Every UAV is a drone, but not every drone is a UAV. The term drone can be used to describe a wide variety of vehicles, while a UAV is specifically a powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator and can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely.
