 |
3 books on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles [PDF]
August 24, 2025 | 25 |
These books are covering UAV design and engineering, their surveillance and reconnaissance applications, remote control systems, autonomous flight algorithms and the ethical implications of unmanned military technologies.
1. Innovations and Developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
2025 by Mellal, Mohamed Arezk
This book is a set of whitepapers about UAVs, that in particular, contains an interesting article about the aerodynamics of large military drones. Aerodynamic factors such as speed, range and endurance dictate the design of UAVs depending on their missions. To improve fuel efficiency, reduce noise and cut maintenance costs, engineers are inventing new types of fuselages. Instead of using articulated control surfaces, modern aerodynamic technologies use flow control and flapless designs. New blended wing-body (BWB) design becomes common in drones built on a modified delta configuration (such as the BAE Demon). Compared to traditional fuselage-wing designs (such as the MQ-9 Reaper), the BWB design has better aerodynamic and operational efficiency. Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) with canards, such as the Dassault nEUROn, have low aspect ratio wings because they need high speed and good maneuverability. Their ability to take off and land in short areas is useful for military missions that require operation away from bases. Flying wing or delta designs (such as the Israeli IAI Harpy) are tailless aircraft. Wings without a horizontal stabilizer have a lower drag profile. However, at high speeds, the forward sweep causes negative lift, uneven lift distribution and excessive induced drag. Most unmanned aerial vehicles have engines located on the underside of the fuselage - this allows the nose to carry a payload. The use of a rear-mounted propeller also has aerodynamic advantages.
Download PDF
2. Military Drones and Robots
2022 by Mari Schuh
This is an illustrated book for kids and for those who just want to take a quick look at the main military drones. For example, it describes perhaps the most recognizable air-drone MQ-1 Predator produced by the American company General Atomics. This is a large and powerful drone with a wingspan of 20 meters. It can rise to a height of up to 15 km, develop a speed of up to 217 km / h and stay in the air for up to 27 hours without a break. MQ-1 Predator can carry weapons (for example, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles). Its first flight took place back in 1994. Then it was used by the US Air Force and CIA mainly for reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting. Besides, Predator became the first drone that was used for pinpoint elimination of terrorists with missiles. The base cost of one drone was about $4 million. Despite the "unmanned" nature, its operation was also very expensive - support, communications, satellites and operators were not cheap. It was later replaced by the more modern MQ-9 Reaper, also from General Atomics.
Download PDF
3. Drone Warfare
2019 by The New York Times Editorial Staff
This book tells the story of how and why big aerial drones appeared. The main motivation for using drones was the US counter-terrorism campaign that began after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. George W. Bush administration authorized the development and use of this technology to find and eliminate terrorists in the Middle East. At first, this seemed like an effective strategy and the budget for developing UAVs such as the Predator and Global Hawk models was increased. Obama administration significantly expanded the drone program. Obama was committed to it, especially because military drones promised to minimize the loss of American soldier lives. Donald Trump administration also continued the drone program and even sought to relax the Obama-era restrictions. In particular, the list of potential targets was expanded from strikes on high-ranking terrorist leaders who posed an “imminent threat” to now broader criteria. The Pentagon has also implemented artificial intelligence technology to analyze images collected by drones, which could improve targeting accuracy. As the war on terror continues, a “drone war” is gaining momentum in northern African countries. Other countries, including Russia, are also developing their own military drone technology, indicating that the U.S. may no longer be the sole leader in the field. As drone warfare nears its second decade, the benefits, costs and ethics of the program are debated in this book.
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Gooreader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
1. Innovations and Developments in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
2025 by Mellal, Mohamed Arezk
This book is a set of whitepapers about UAVs, that in particular, contains an interesting article about the aerodynamics of large military drones. Aerodynamic factors such as speed, range and endurance dictate the design of UAVs depending on their missions. To improve fuel efficiency, reduce noise and cut maintenance costs, engineers are inventing new types of fuselages. Instead of using articulated control surfaces, modern aerodynamic technologies use flow control and flapless designs. New blended wing-body (BWB) design becomes common in drones built on a modified delta configuration (such as the BAE Demon). Compared to traditional fuselage-wing designs (such as the MQ-9 Reaper), the BWB design has better aerodynamic and operational efficiency. Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) with canards, such as the Dassault nEUROn, have low aspect ratio wings because they need high speed and good maneuverability. Their ability to take off and land in short areas is useful for military missions that require operation away from bases. Flying wing or delta designs (such as the Israeli IAI Harpy) are tailless aircraft. Wings without a horizontal stabilizer have a lower drag profile. However, at high speeds, the forward sweep causes negative lift, uneven lift distribution and excessive induced drag. Most unmanned aerial vehicles have engines located on the underside of the fuselage - this allows the nose to carry a payload. The use of a rear-mounted propeller also has aerodynamic advantages.
Download PDF
2. Military Drones and Robots
2022 by Mari Schuh
This is an illustrated book for kids and for those who just want to take a quick look at the main military drones. For example, it describes perhaps the most recognizable air-drone MQ-1 Predator produced by the American company General Atomics. This is a large and powerful drone with a wingspan of 20 meters. It can rise to a height of up to 15 km, develop a speed of up to 217 km / h and stay in the air for up to 27 hours without a break. MQ-1 Predator can carry weapons (for example, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles). Its first flight took place back in 1994. Then it was used by the US Air Force and CIA mainly for reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting. Besides, Predator became the first drone that was used for pinpoint elimination of terrorists with missiles. The base cost of one drone was about $4 million. Despite the "unmanned" nature, its operation was also very expensive - support, communications, satellites and operators were not cheap. It was later replaced by the more modern MQ-9 Reaper, also from General Atomics.
Download PDF
3. Drone Warfare
2019 by The New York Times Editorial Staff
This book tells the story of how and why big aerial drones appeared. The main motivation for using drones was the US counter-terrorism campaign that began after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. George W. Bush administration authorized the development and use of this technology to find and eliminate terrorists in the Middle East. At first, this seemed like an effective strategy and the budget for developing UAVs such as the Predator and Global Hawk models was increased. Obama administration significantly expanded the drone program. Obama was committed to it, especially because military drones promised to minimize the loss of American soldier lives. Donald Trump administration also continued the drone program and even sought to relax the Obama-era restrictions. In particular, the list of potential targets was expanded from strikes on high-ranking terrorist leaders who posed an “imminent threat” to now broader criteria. The Pentagon has also implemented artificial intelligence technology to analyze images collected by drones, which could improve targeting accuracy. As the war on terror continues, a “drone war” is gaining momentum in northern African countries. Other countries, including Russia, are also developing their own military drone technology, indicating that the U.S. may no longer be the sole leader in the field. As drone warfare nears its second decade, the benefits, costs and ethics of the program are debated in this book.
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Gooreader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
