In this article, we look at five countries with the most military drones in the world. You can read about how the proliferation of drones has affected modern warfare by heading over to the 10 Countries with the Most Military Drones in the World, where we have also discussed the ongoing developments in America’s defense sector to ensure superiority over rivals in this realm.
5. Germany
Drones: 670
We begin our list with Germany, which is one of the most powerful countries in Europe. The German defense forces are equipped with 670 drones that are used for military purposes, ranging from surveillance and reconnaissance, to intelligence gathering and striking enemy targets. These include among others 61 Rheinmetall KZO unmanned aircraft, and 11 Heron 1 and Heron TP drones procured from Israel over the last 15 years.
4. Russia
Drones: 1,050
An overwhelming majority of Russia’s military drones consist of the locally-made Orlan-10, which are primarily used for reconnaissance missions by the Russian military. Russia also has over 30 Searcher Mk II as well which it procured from Israel in 2013. Moscow is currently accelerating the development of its long-range attack drones amid its war with Ukraine, and to catch up with the United States in this space of warfare.
3. Poland
Drones: 1,209
Poland takes third spot in our list of countries with the most military drones in the world. Its fleet includes over a thousand Warmate loitering munition UAVs developed by Poland’s WB Group. These lightweight structures have been in use by the Polish defense forces to perform a variety of security related missions. In addition to this, the country also has 40 Orlik PGZ-19R and 45 Orbiter unmanned aerial vehicles.
2. Turkiye
Drones: 1,421
Turkiye has the second largest fleet of military drones in the world, according to the Power Atlas. It is among some of the most advanced countries in drone technology. Its medium altitude long endurance UAV, Bayraktar TB2, is one of the most potent military drones in the world. Apart from Turkey, the Bayraktar TB2 is also under the services of militaries in Azerbaijan, Qatar, and Ukraine.
1. United States
Drones: 13,710
The United States has the most powerful military in the world. Therefore, it is no surprise to see the country top the charts for drone capabilities as well. The US has the largest fleet of military drones in the world, with well over 13,000 unmanned aerial vehicles. Over 60% of these comprise the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven, that are primarily used for aerial surveillance, reconnaissance, and target acquisition. The US Air Force also operates 275 MQ-9 Reaper and 134 MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones – both built by General Atomics. In addition to this, it is also equipped with 36 RQ-4 Global Hawk developed by Northrop Grumman. The Air Force is actively working with partners in the country’s defense industry to manufacture drone wingmen to fly alongside their fighter jets and bombers.
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