Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) or drone technologies, both individual systems and swarms of UASs, have proliferated over the past 25 years for a wide variety of applications. As a result, this technology and the ability to employ these UAS capabilities represent both a current and a growing threat as the technology continues to mature. In this report, researchers assess intelligent swarm ...
In 2016, during coalition operations against the Islamic State, defense leaders started characterizing drones, especially small-unmanned aircraft systems, as a threat to U.S. military personnel and installations. Since then, drones have proliferated and increasingly threaten military personnel and bases, both at home and abroad. In March 2025, more than 100 participants from more than two ...
SUMMARY To better understand trends in Chi-nese unmanned systems research, development, acquisi-tion, and employment, and their potential implications, RAND undertook exploratory analysis to lay an initial foundation for future research on China’s development and use of unmanned systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), and unmanned surface ...
About This Report Over the past decade, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been monitoring the evolution of U.S. approaches to strengthening combat effectiveness through enhanced collaborations between manned and unmanned combat systems, known as manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).
This analysis is intended to improve understanding of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) perceptions regarding manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) and the PLA's efforts to integrate autonomous systems into air operations. These insights into China's MUM-T capabilities can inform the Department of the Air Force's operational planning, enhance interoperability with allied forces, and guide ...
An emergency or disaster that involves radiation puts first responders at risk. Radiation detectors mounted on unmanned systems have the potential to improve responder safety. They could also reduce the amount of time and equipment and the number of responders needed for a given situation.