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10 Countries with the Most Military Drones in the World

Ashar Jawad
8 min read

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In this article, we look at 10 countries with the most military drones in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis on the technological advancements in this segment of military warfare and head over directly to the 5 Countries with the Most Military Drones in the World.

The wars between Azerbaijan and Armenia first in 2020, and then later involving Russia and Ukraine have been the kind of conflicts that western powers had been worrying about, and are now scrambling to prepare themselves for a future that already seems to be here. Demand for military drones have surged over the last few years with countries actively using their unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, and target operations.

Drones were a prominent feature of the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and have been clouding the skies in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Borodyanka among other towns and cities in Ukraine, in what is being seen as the arrival of a new threat in the aerial defense space. These uninhabited aerial vehicles have made it difficult for enemy targets to move and hide on the battlefield with their aerial footages offering unprecedented birds-eye views of the war.

The Americans have been operating drones for about a century now, having deployed them first during World War II, between 1939 and 1945, and then more recently in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. Defense experts believe the proliferation of military drones is a concern for US policymakers who worry about China taking a leaf out of Russia’s book (strikes on Ukraine), and launching similar attacks against US interests in the Pacific. Moreover, US troops have also come under drone attacks from non-state actors in the Middle East in recent years – most notably from ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Considering the rapidly evolving threat, the Americans are taking initiatives to stay a step ahead of their foes. In August 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced to build ‘attritable autonomous systems’ in mass over the next two years. Moreover, under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the US Air Force plans to develop drone wingmen to fly alongside its premier fighter and bomber jets – Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s F-35 and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)’s B-21 Raider.

These unmanned combat air vehicles will be used to perform several missions, such as surveillance, striking enemies and jamming their signals. The Air Force expects about a thousand CCAs to enter service by 2028, which will mean that they would be ready for deployment with the sixth-generation of fighter jets that are currently being developed under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.

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