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History of Drone

Trina Hendrickson

Created on March 11, 2025

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History of Drone

Select the Year Banner to learn more about each milestone

Future

1918

1783

1990

1955

MQ-1 Predator drones was used in long-endurance surveillance missions .

USAF adapts Firebee drones for reconnissance missions.

Invention of Hot Air Balloons showed the possibilities of unmanned aviation

Kettering Bug was developed as the first flying bomb

1960

1935

2010

1898

U-2 Planes was shot down by the Soviet Union

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Nikola Tesla demonstrated radio controlled boat laying the ground-work for radio controled technology.

UK developed the Queen Bee a radio controlled target drone. The word drone has been tracked back to this date.

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Radio Controlled Boat

Nikola Tesla invented radio controlled-boat which laid the foundation for remote controlled technology

Purpose/Why is this Important

  • Remote-controlled aviation is similar to RC drones.
  • Tesla's invention helped bridge the gap in aviation and autonomous vehicles in the future.
Hot Air Balloon

Unmanned Flight became a possibliity after the Montgulfier Brothers created the first lighter than air invention.

Purpose

  • Fascination of flight from birds
  • Carrying Passengers
  • Testing variety of designs-unmanned
Kettering Bug

The Kettering bug was developed by Charles F. Kettering from Dayton, OH. It was programmed to a pre-set destination, and then the winds were released, causing the "bug" to plunge towards its target before it detonated on impact.

Purpose

  • Built 50 Bugs before the Armistice but they never saw combat.
  • Programming and automous flight became a possiblity after the Kettering Bug.
Queen Bee

The Queen Bee drone was developed by the United Kingdom in 1935. It was then where the term drone originated from.

Purpose

  • The term drone was coined in 1935
  • WW2 marked new military inventions and innovations for the battle field.
  • Drones were used for target practice and experimental weapons, but not used for warfare.
Firebee Drone

The United States Air Force adapts the Firebee drone for reconnaissance missions on communist countries. At the height of the Cold War, reconnaissance drones were used to investigate countries' capabilities of nuclear weapons.

Purpose

  • Reconnaissance missions for military applications.
  • Advanced navigation from GPS technology, which was developed during the Cold War.
U-2 Spy Plane and Cuban Missile Crisis

The U-2 Spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Union, leading to advancements in unmanned drones to reduce the risk of capture by enemies. The Cuban Missile Crisis led to advancements in technology, mainly for intelligence gathering.

Purpose

  • Rapid advancements in technology to compete with communist countries.
  • The End goal for each country was to increase military power for the US and USSR.
MQ-1 Predator Drone

The MQ-1 Predator drone was developed by General Atomics in 1994. the MQ-1 drones where deployed during the Gulf War and still being used in active conflict areas.

Purpose

  • Global Positioning System became more advanced and accurate. Leading to fly-waypoint missions automatically.
  • Maintaining stable flight and autonomous controls became the standard in drones.
Future Applications

AI Technology and commercial applications will become the norm. Civilian drone use as a hobby has recently become popular and does not seem to be losing interest in the future.

Future Uses

  • Medical applications for battlefield or underdeveloped nations.
  • Delivery services for food and transportation
  • Argriculuture
  • Real-Estate
  • Micro and nano drones.
AI and Machine Learning Era

Integration with Artificial Intelligence and autonomous controls began on drones in 2010. The technology has advanced significantly since then. Modern AI can reconige targets, avoid obstacles, track moving targets, fly indoors without GPS and make adaptive decisons in realtime.

Purpose

  • The shift from automated to intelligent drones has changed drone technology.
  • Drones are also being used for commercial applications, not solely for military use.