How to recognise military drones
16 military drones in Spotrep’s field guide, each with a photo, where it comes from, who uses it and the details that tell it apart from the rest.
Practise in Classic- Bayraktar TB2Drones · Turkey
Slim fuselage, long straight wing, inverted V-tail and a pusher propeller at the rear.
- ForpostDrones · Israel / Russia
Twin-boom drone with a pusher propeller, a straight wing and fixed landing gear; a Russian-built IAI Searcher.
- MQ-1 Predator / Gray EagleDrones · USA
Slender drone with a rounded nose, long straight wings, inverted V-tail and a pusher propeller.
- MQ-9 ReaperDrones · USA
Bulbous nose, long straight wing, V-tail with a fin below and a pusher propeller at the rear.
- RQ-4 Global HawkDrones · USA
Bulbous whale-shaped nose without windows, very long thin wings, V-tail and an engine on top of the rear fuselage.
- No photo yetBlack HornetDrones · Norway
Palm-sized nano helicopter drone with a two-blade main rotor and a tiny tail rotor.
- No photo yetIAI HeronDrones · Israel
Medium drone with a pusher propeller, a long straight wing and twin tail booms joined by a horizontal tailplane.
- No photo yetMohajer-6Drones · Iran
Twin-boom drone with a pusher propeller between the booms, a straight wing with weapon pylons and fixed landing gear.
- No photo yetOrlan-10Drones · Russia
Small light-grey drone with a high straight wing and a conventional tail, launched from a catapult.
- No photo yetRQ-7 ShadowDrones · USA
Small drone with twin tail booms joined by an inverted V tail, a pusher propeller and a fixed tricycle undercarriage.
- No photo yetRQ-20 PumaDrones · USA
Hand-launched small drone with a straight wing on a pylon above the fuselage and a propeller at the nose.
- No photo yetScanEagleDrones · USA
Small catapult-launched drone with a cylindrical body, a pusher propeller and swept wings with winglets; no tail.
- No photo yetShahed-136Drones · Iran
Small delta wing with vertical fins at the wingtips and a propeller at the very back.
- No photo yetSwitchbladeDrones · USA
Tube-launched loitering munition with two pairs of pop-out wings, front and rear, and a small rear propeller.
- No photo yetWing Loong IIDrones · China
Reaper-like drone with a bulbous nose, a long straight wing with winglets, a V-tail and a rear pusher propeller.
- No photo yetZALA LancetDrones · Russia
Slim loitering munition with two sets of X-shaped wings, one at the front and one at the rear.
