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

Word History

Etymology

unmanned aerial vehicle

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above