If you’ve watched the news lately, you’ve probably heard something about U.S. military drones. Since the mid-1990s we’ve been operating armed and unarmed drone missions. The US isn’t alone in this—militaries all around the world are using drones.
If you are looking to learn more about the types of drones the U.S. government uses, you came to the right place. Check out our technical guide on types of military drones here.
We Fly High
Have you ever wondered how high do military drones fly? Well, the answer to this is a bit complicated.
The U.S. military doesn’t fly drones just to fly them. They fly them for a specific mission.
A drone can go as far as they need to carry out the mission. Some drones can fly for two days straight without stopping. A drone can perform close air support, surveillance missions, launch, and recovery operations too.
Types of Military Drones
The military uses many different types of drones. These drones are classified based on their weight, range, speed, and capabilities. There are three classes of military drones.
Class I Drones
Class I, also known as mini drones, can be used to perform a computerized command mission and communication and information solutions. Class I military drone size averages under 150 kg or about 330 pounds.
Class II Drones
Class II military drones are designed to be used in the Special Forces or at the battalion level. These military drones are great assets for medium-range surveillance. One commonly known military drone fact about these Class II machines is their flexibility, endurance and ruggedness can’t be beaten.
Class II drones are a very good middle-ground between the mini drones and the strategic drones. Sometimes they are used for target acquisition and assessment of damage as well.
Class III Drones
Classe III military drones, also known as medium altitude long endurance or MALE systems, are ideal for surveillance and reconnaissance missions in non-threatening areas. Before you ask yourself how big are military drones in class III, the answer is big! These MALEs can weight up to 600 kg or 1,2000 pounds.
They are used for a wide array of missions including determining the position of an enemy and their movements. They have also been used to gather lists of targets. These drones come complete with state of the art technology.
You’ve probably heard of the drones named the Predator and Reaper. They both belong to this classification of military drones. If you want to learn more about the positioning, navigation, and timing of the military’s unmanned drones, read this post.
The U.S. Military Is Actively Working on New Drones
Drones used in military operations are not going away anytime soon. Instead, the U.S. military is actively creating new drones and refining its technology. You can bet that different types of military drones are going to play a bigger role during upcoming conflicts and also during peacetime operations.
Anything that helps keep our military personnel a little bit safer is a plus in our book. If you enjoyed learning about military drones, share this article with your friends and read our other articles too.
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