The History of Drones: Drone History Timeline from 1849 to 2018

The history of drones dates back to the early 1839s when unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used for reconnaissance missions by Austrian soldiers. Since then, the use of drones has become more widespread, both commercially and by governments. The current drone boom has been enabled by major improvements in drone technology over the last decade or so, making them smaller, safer, and more affordable than ever before. Here’s our history of drones’ timeline from 1849 to 2018.

Early drone technology history

Before getting to the history of drones, it is critical to understand what drones are. A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely. The earliest known unmanned aerial vehicle was built in 1839 by Austrian soldiers during a siege on Venice. The device consisted of unmanned balloons carrying small bombs. This technology did not advance until Wright Brothers came in.

Wright Brothers’ first flight

The Kitty Hawk flight by the Wright Brothers was a landmark in aviation history that happened in 1900. It was the first-ever controlled, powered, and sustained heavier-than-air manned flight. This is considered one of the most important events in aviation history. After that, Great Britain created the Ruston Proctor Aerial Target 16 years later, which was the first pilotless winged aircraft launched with explosives. This employed designs by Nikola Tesla for control and radio control using radio waves.

Basically, this was a flying bomb that hoped to serve as an aerial target for anti-aircraft gunnery practice. However, after many failed prototype launches, it was never used in combat and the project was scrapped by the British military with the perception that unmanned aerial vehicles had little military potential. But this was a wrong decision because now there are thousands of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) employed by militaries around the world.

A few years after terminating the project, an American was born: the Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane. Due to awesome performance, it was improved to the Kettering Bug which employed the 1918 technology.

The modern history of military drones

There was an advancement in UAV technology throughout World War II, but this improvement made them look expensive and unrealistic for commercial use. The good thing is that both USSR and US employed unmanned drones as part of their military operations during Cold War. However, it wasn’t until 1982 that modern drone warfare started when Israel used a drone to destroy a nuclear reactor in Iraq. This technology improvement was nothing new however the IAF figured out how to make these drones autonomous, meaning they could fly on their own without any human interaction. These are some of the most popular drone models that have been developed over time. You may be wondering how these Modern military drones were used, right? Well, these devices served two purposes:

(a). Combat surveillance

This means that they were used for surveillance purposes in combat. Surveillance is one of the most important aspects of military operations and these drones are able to help gather information on enemy troops, their location, and other tactical data. For example, Predator drones can be used for reconnaissance purposes in dangerous areas such as war zones or border regions where it’s not safe for humans to go. These unmanned aircraft can provide real-time information on what’s happening on a battlefield or across an international border without putting soldiers at risk.

(b) Tactical reconnaissance

Unmanned drones can be used to gather information on enemy movements and positions, while they also provide important intelligence that can help troops strategize their operations. By allowing troops to have an aerial view, they’re able to get a sense of how large enemy forces are and what kind of weapons they have at their disposal. Modern military drones do more than just fly around and watch though; some are able to drop bombs or fire missiles at targets.

The modern history of commercial drones

Non-military drones or commercial drones started in 2006. They are used by many firms including;

(I) Government agencies

Government agencies employ commercial drones for many reasons including border surveillance, disaster relief, and search and rescue.

(ii) Corporations organizations

Corporate organizations also use drones for business in many ways. They do advertising, property and land surveying, mapping, surveillance, and training purposes among others.

(iii) Non-profit organization

Non-profit organizations like Red Cross are using commercial drones to provide medical services in areas that are difficult to reach by ground vehicles. Besides, they use them for disaster relief purposes such as delivering food, water, and medicines.

(iv) Private citizens

Private citizens also use commercial drones for a variety of reasons including recreational activities, photography, and filming movies, or documentaries among others.

Future of drones in civilian life

According to research, the future of drones in civilian life is very bright. The drone market is expected to increase by 13.8% which is $42.8 billion by 2025 and will create more than 100,000 jobs in civil aviation. In fact, a lot of companies are already working on developing new unmanned flying taxi services that will provide people with an alternative to cars and public transportation. These taxis would fly at speeds faster than 150 miles per hour and could help reduce traffic congestion in major cities around the world. Moreover, they would also help make travel much cheaper for everyone. A study reveals that these unmanned flying taxis could reduce travel costs by up to 40%. And as far as safety goes, it was found that there’s no difference between driverless cars and driver-less aircraft when it comes to accident rates.

In conclusion, drones have been around for a long time. Their applications ion has changed over time but they have always had a military use. With their many benefits to society, it is hard to see them going away any time soon. But it will be interesting to see how these changes unfold in future years and what new uses there are for these flying machines. I hope you enjoyed reading about drone history as much as I did writing it!