UAV

noun

ˌyü-ˌā-ˈvē 

plural UAVs

: rpv

UAVs, as the Pentagon calls them, are operated not unlike the hobbyist's remote-controlled airplanes; soldiers on the ground man computer stations with controls that fly the aircraft.

—Daniel G. Dupont

Examples of UAV in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first phase is a property-wide UAV magnetic survey, designed to generate the first modern high-resolution geophysical dataset for the site. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 June 2026

The video claims to show a FAB-500 aerial glide bomb destroying a UAV command post near Novopavlovka and a temporary deployment area in the Kherson region. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

The law, passed by Russia's lower house of parliament on Tuesday, will allow staff at Russia's central bank to be armed and to operate the systems used to down unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, or drone) attacks without the involvement of special forces. — Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 27 May 2026

Finally, early warning systems employing acoustic sensors, optical trackers, and passive radio frequency detection provide critical situational awareness, enabling timely engagement of incoming UAV threats. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

unmanned aerial vehicle

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above