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Military & Defence vocabulary · Equipment & Vehicles

UAV

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/ˌjuː eɪ ˈviː/abbreviationCommon term

In military & defence, UAV means: Short for unmanned aerial vehicle: an aircraft with no pilot on board, flown by remote control or by its own onboard computer systems.

In Turkish: İHA, insansız hava aracı

How it is used

Commonly called a drone. The whole system, including the ground control station and data links, is a UAS (unmanned aircraft system). Some organisations now prefer 'uncrewed'. UAVs are widely used for surveillance, mapping and disaster relief.

Example sentences

  1. A small UAV mapped the flooded area for the rescue teams.

  2. The company exports UAV ground stations to several countries.

Common collocations

  • UAV operator
  • fly a UAV
  • UAV ground station
  • small UAV
  • aircraftAny machine that flies, including aeroplanes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles; military aircraft include transport, training and combat types.
  • reconnaissanceThe activity of visiting or watching an area to gather information about the ground, routes, weather or other forces before acting.
  • defence industryThe companies and organisations that design, develop, produce and support military equipment and services for armed forces.
  • air forceThe branch of the armed forces that operates military aircraft and air defence systems and carries out missions in the air.

More terms: Equipment & Vehicles

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