With reference to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), consider the following statements:

I. All types of UAVs can do vertical landing.   

II. All types of UAVs can do automated hovering.   

III.All types of UAVs can use battery only as a source of power supply.   

How many of the statements given above are correct?  

  • Only one    
  • Only two  
  • All the three   
  • None 

Answer: (d) None 

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are aircraft without onboard human pilots, operating remotely or autonomously via onboard computers.
  • Ranging from small tactical devices to large, high-altitude systems, they provide cost-effective, agile solutions for military surveillance, agriculture, infrastructure inspection, and logistics.
  • Key Aspects of UAV Technology:
    • Types: UAVs are broadly classified into fixed-wing (for long-range, high-speed, or long-endurance missions) and rotary-wing (or multicopter, for vertical takeoff/landing and hovering).
    • Operation: They operate via pre-programmed flight plans or direct remote control.
    • Components: Modern UAVs are increasingly integrating AI for enhanced navigation and object detection.
    • Military Use: They play a critical role in modern warfare for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (e.g., RQ-4 Global Hawk, Heron).
    • Civilian/Commercial Use: They are used for agricultural mapping, inspecting critical infrastructure, aerial photography, and last-mile delivery.
  • Common Applications:
    • Defense & Security: Border patrol, tactical battlefield intelligence.
    • Agriculture: Crop monitoring, pesticide spraying.
    • Logistics: Delivering goods, medical supplies.
    • Disaster Management: Real-time damage assessment.
  • Vertical Landing and Take-Off:
    • A type of drone known as a fixed-wing drone is an aerial vehicle that utilises rigid wings, a fuselage, tails, a propeller, and a motor to cover long distances at high speeds. Unlike other drones, they cannot hover or land at specific points, requiring a runway or a net for landing. Thus, all drones (for example, fixed-wing drones) cannot do vertical landing.
  • Automated Hovering:
    • Again, unlike other drones, traditional fixed-wing drones cannot hover or land at specific points, requiring a runway or a net for landing.
  • Battery Usage:
    • UAVs come in many configurations, including: Multirotors (e.g., quadcopters), Fixed-wing UAVs, Hybrid VTOLs, High-endurance military UAVs (e.g., Predator drones).
    • Many of these cannot rely solely on batteries due to power and endurance limitations. The energy density of batteries is lower than that of fuel. For long-range UAVs, especially fixed-wing or military UAVs, batteries cannot provide sufficient power or duration.