What is the difference between UAV, UAS and uncrewed drone technology?

UAV, UAS, uncrewed, unmanned, drone…the lexicon surrounding small, pilotless aircraft can get confusing. Do all those terms refer to the same thing? If not, what distinguishes one from another? How is a drone different from a UAV? What is the difference between uncrewed and unmanned?

Drone or UAV?

The word drone did not originally designate something that flies–it referred to anything that moved autonomously on land or sea or in the sky. Now, however, most people associate the term with flight. So,while it is not true that all drones are UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) it is true that all UAVs are drones.

Clear as mud, right? Don’t worry; it gets more muddled.

In general usage, most people use “drone” to refer to any diminutive, pilotless aircraft. Just as the word “car” encompasses everything from a 20 year old beater to a Tesla, “drone” can refer to a $25 toy flown by a first grader or a highly sophisticated heavy lift drone capable of a 45 minute inspection flight over miles of power lines.

Clearly, light, inexpensive recreational drones differ greatly from UAVs built for professional or governmental use.

Unmanned or Uncrewed?

These terms are a little simpler to sort out because they basically mean the same thing. Both describe a craft that does not operate with a human onboard. They may be operated by a pilot on the ground or they may fly autonomously.

While unmanned is still the more commonly used term, the gender neutral uncrewed is seeing more usage.

What Is the Difference Between a UAV and a UAS

Basically, UAV refers only to the unmanned vehicle itself. UAS, or unmanned aircraft system, refers to everything necessary to operate a UAV. Therefore, a UAV is just one component of a UAS.

The term UAS is used to describe a more complex, technical operation and can include the UAVs pilot, ground control station, data links, communication system, software, hardware, and payload.

What should be a simple distinction can be muddied, however, by the fact that pilots of high tech heavy lift drones often refer to them as UAS, and technically some are so complex that they can be a complete system on their own. These UAVs far outperform the less advanced UAVs flown recreationally. 

Consumer UAVs are smaller and lighter. They cannot stay airborne for very long and cannot carry the payload required for professional applications such as laser scanning, mine surveying, military surveillance, or utility inspections. They do not have the high tech navigational systems required by many industries.