World of Drones: Military

Before 9/11, the United States had only a tiny number of experimental drones that were never used in combat. The 9/11 attacks and the wars they engendered changed this. Today there are more than 7,000 American drones, some 200 of which are armed and which have killed thousands of people.

But the virtual monopoly on drones that the States once enjoyed is long gone. According to data collected by New America, there are ## countries that have some sort of drone capability, both armed and unarmed.

So far, eight countries have used armed drones in combat: the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Iran, and Turkey. Three non-state actors, Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS, have also used armed drones combat. But many other countries are arming drones and it’s only a matter of time before they deploy them in combat. According to New America’s research, 19 countries have armed drones or are acquiring armed drone technology.

In 2015, the United States began allowing the sale of American armed drones to foreign countries. The State Department announced the new policy that would allow certain, friendly governments to make purchases of armed drones from the United States if they agreed to a series of commitments, such as only using the drones when there’s a lawful basis to do so. So far the United States has signed agreements with the United Kingdom and Italy to export its armed drone technology.

This helps account for why a Virginia-based defense consulting firm, the Teal Group, estimated in 2013 that the global market for drones will almost double in the next decade, from $6.6 billion annually to $11.4 billion a year. And a 2011 study found that there were around 680 active drone development programs run by governments, companies and research institutes around the world, compared with only 195 six years earlier.

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This site tracks which countries currently possess drones and how they acquired them, based on an analysis of hundreds of news reports and government documents. Countries below are sorted into three groups: those who possess unmanned drones, those who possess armed unmanned drones, and those who use these drones in combat. You can also sort the map according to tiers to view which countries have what type of drone capability. A country’s drone capabilities are classified according to the U.S. Air Force tier system. Tier I includes low altitude, low endurance drones like the Orbiter; Tier II is comprised of medium altitude, long endurance drones like the Reaper or the Predator; and Tier II+ applies to high altitude, long endurance drones like the Global Hawk. Mini and micro drones are not classified in the tier system. In the next tab, you can view global imports and exports of drones by country.

Click on a country to see its imports or exports.


Countries with Drones Used in Combat

Source of Technology Tier I
(Low altitude, low endurance)		 Tier II
(High altitude, long endurance)		 Tier II+
(Medium altitude, long endurance)


Countries with Armed Drones

Source of Technology Tier I
(Low altitude, low endurance)		 Tier II
(High altitude, long endurance)		 Tier II+
(Medium altitude, long endurance)


Countries Developing Armed Drones

Source of Technology Tier I
(Low altitude, low endurance)		 Tier II
(High altitude, long endurance)		 Tier II+
(Medium altitude, long endurance)


Countries Producing Drones Domestically

Source of Technology Tier I
(Low altitude, low endurance)		 Tier II
(High altitude, long endurance)		 Tier II+
(Medium altitude, long endurance)


Non-state Actors with Drones used in Combat

Source of Technology Tier I
(Low altitude, low endurance)		 Tier II
(High altitude, long endurance)		 Tier II+
(Medium altitude, long endurance)