UAV

abbreviation or 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 rider's family watched the rescue on the UAV live feed from the base. — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026

Aircraft designers could gain more freedom when arranging electrical systems inside compact UAV structures. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 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

Word History

Etymology

unmanned aerial vehicle

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above