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Soldier operating drone
Image: picture alliance/dpa/ukrinImage: picture alliance/dpa/ukrin

Drones

A drone, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is an unpiloted aircraft. It can be used for military as well as civilian purposes.

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All Content on this topic

A drone drops an explosive charge in the direction of a car in Beryslav.

Ukraine residents 'hunted' by Russian drones

The city of Beryslav has become a hotspot for Russian drone attacks — with no apparent reason. DW has investigated.
ConflictsAugust 27, 202403:32 min
View of a kamikaze drone with attached munition in mid-air

Russia: Targeting civilians in Ukraine with drones

Russian soldiers have terrorized civilians in Ukraine with drones. Some of these attacks amount to war crimes.
ConflictsAugust 27, 2024
Menschenjagd - Wie russische Drohnen eine ukrainische Stadt terrorisieren

How Russian drones terrorize a Ukrainian city

The small Ukrainian city of Beryslav on the Dnipro River has become the target of an unprecedented wave of Russian drone
ConflictsAugust 26, 202428:33 min
A gas tanker brings LNG gas to the floating LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel in northern Germany. July 30, 2024.

Germany investigates drone flights over industrial park

Prosecutors probe drone flights at industrial park, citing "the suspicion of espionage activity for sabotage purposes."
PoliticsAugust 22, 2024
Israeli police work at the scene of a drone attack in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya on Aug. 6, 2024

Two wounded in Hezbollah drone attack on Israel

Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah launched a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks on El Mazra'a in northern Israel.
ConflictsAugust 6, 202402:47 min
A farmer holds his smartphone up to a banana plant

How secure is our food supply? - MADE

Climate change is a danger to our food security. What can we do to maintain our crop yields?
BusinessAugust 6, 202426:06 min
Abdel-Fattah Burhan

Sudan's top general survives drone strike

Abdel-Fattah Burhan is unharmed after an attack that killed five in eastern Sudan.
ConflictsJuly 31, 2024
Bev Priestman

Canada removes women's soccer coach in drone-spying scandal

Canada's FA has said the team will not pull out of the Olympic tournament, adding the players had done nothing wrong.
SoccerJuly 26, 2024
Smoke and flames rise from a site in Hodeidah, Yemen.

Israeli jets strike targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen

One day after a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv, Israel’s army has struck targets in Yemen's Houthi-controlled Hodeida.
ConflictsJuly 20, 202401:44 min
Members of the Israeli security forces are seen at a cordoned-off area where an explosion took place in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels carry out drone attack in Tel Aviv

The first lethal strike by Yemen-based Houthis on Israel has killed one person and injured ten others in Tel Aviv.
ConflictsJuly 20, 202402:11 min
A woman wearing a baseball cap looks upward, holding drone controls

Indian women are becoming drone pilots

In rural India, women are being trained to spray chemical pesticides with drones. Is there an alternative?
Food SecurityJune 29, 202405:01 min
Vorschaubild Mapped Out Iran

How powerful is Iran really?

Iran is projecting power. Its economy is failing and support for the regime low. How powerful is Iran really?
PoliticsJune 28, 202414:13 min
DW Sendung Made in Germany

When technology meets reality — MADE

Technology meets reality: EVs, spy chips, drones and computer games.
BusinessJune 25, 202426:04 min
Undated handout image of a Switchblade drone, launching with a soldier stood with his back to the camera in the foreground of the shot. Promotional image from AeroVironment, Inc.

US approves sale of arms, drones to Taiwan

Though not unexpected, the move is liable to rile China, which claims Taiwan as its territory.
PoliticsJune 19, 2024
DW Tomorrow Today Sendungslogo Composite

Tomorrow Today – The Science Show

Technologies of the future. Can we prepare better for extreme weather with help from satellites, sensors and AI?
ScienceJune 14, 202426:06 min
Videostill | Drone Warfare in Ukraine

Meet the Ukrainian drone unit known as 'Peaky Blinders'

Ukrainian soldiers are trying to hold back a Russian incursion near Kharkiv. DW's Max Zander met them at the front lines
ConflictsMay 28, 202404:32 min
Two men in fatigues stand with backs to the camera, addressing a third man, in helmet

Ukraine troops forced to use improvised weapons

Short on air defenses and waiting for more international support, Ukraine is turning to improvised weapons.
ConflictsMay 24, 202403:51 min
DW Sendung Eco India

Indian women take to the skies as drone pilots

Women in India are piloting drones that spray crops. It’s a social and economic boon for the women — but at what cost?
EqualityMay 21, 202405:00 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

Tech and tradition: The future of farming - Eco India

From India to Europe, farmers are angry about high costs and low crop prices. High-tech can help — but is that enough?
Nature and EnvironmentMay 16, 202426:05 min
A yellow drone flies above a field and trees

How Ghana is using AI to improve food security

Artificial intelligence is helping Ghanaian farmers in the country's east fight crop disease and boost yields.
Food SecurityMay 13, 202405:14 min
DW Tomorrow Today Sendungslogo Composite

Tomorrow Today - DW's Science Magazine

Apes, zebras large frogs, small squid and luminescent bacteria. Exciting insights from the animal kingdom.
ScienceMay 10, 202426:06 min
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a double photo

North Korea and Iran — a new anti-Western alliance?

Pyongyang and Tehran are united by their grievances against the US and could be part of an emerging anti-Western bloc.
ConflictsMay 7, 2024
US President Joe Biden stands behind microphones and gestures with his hands while delivering remarks at the White House

Fact check: Is Joe Biden weakening Iran sanctions?

President Biden's detractors accuse him of undermining punitive measures against Iran. Are they right?
PoliticsMay 3, 2024
Mosambik 2024 | Cleiton Michaque, 17-jähriger mosambikanischer Innovator

Mozambique’s teenage inventor and his big drone dreams

Cleiton Michaque, a 17-year-old Mozambican inventor, has made his own drone out of carbon fiber.
TechnologyApril 29, 202401:30 min
File picture of a gas extraction installation in Iraq

Iraq: 4 killed in drone attack on gas field

Authorities say that foreign workers have been killed in the autonomous Kurdistan region.
ConflictsApril 26, 2024
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the dual-use civilian airport and air base in Isfahan, Iran.

Iranian government plays down suspected Israeli air attack

After explosions in Iran, reportedly an Israeli strike, G7 ministers urged both sides to avoid any further escalation.
ConflictsApril 20, 202401:48 min
A woman watches an Iranian news TV channel in Tehran

Iran plays down reports of Israeli attack

Iranian authorities say three small drones were downed, and call US media reports of an Israeli attack exaggerated.
ConflictsApril 19, 2024
European Council President Charles Michel speaks to journalists at the end of the first day of a European Union summit.

EU leaders back new sanctions on Iran after attack on Israel

European Union leaders have agreed to step up sanctions targeting Iran's drone and missile producers.
PoliticsApril 18, 202402:35 min
A view of Israeli army Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi (center R) speaking to military officers at Nevatim airbase, A fighter jet is seen in the background.

Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East

Governments around the world are calling for restraint as Israel weighs its response to last weekend's attacks by Iran.
ConflictsApril 17, 202402:18 min
Olaf Scholz

German government condemns Iranian attack on Israel

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Iranian attack on Israel 'brutal' and 'unprecedented.'
ConflictsApril 15, 202401:52 min
Israel's war cabinet

Israel weighs up response to Iran's drone attacks

Israel's war cabinet has met to discuss how to respond to Iranian missile and drone attacks over the weekend.
ConflictsApril 15, 202402:04 min
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with the Iranian flag in the background

Iran's attack on Israel has muted impact on oil markets

The global economy has reacted mostly with indifference to the Iranian strike on Israel. Can the calm last?
BusinessApril 15, 2024
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran

Iran attack 'unprecedented,' Israel response to be muted: analyst

Iran's first ever direct attack on Israel — after decades of hostility — employed more than 300 missiles and drones.
ConflictsApril 14, 202404:23 min
An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon

Israel fends off Iranian drone and missile attack

The Israeli military said Israel and its allies intercepted the majority of Iranian projectiles fired on Saturday night.
ConflictsApril 14, 202402:19 min
Iran-made drones are displayed in a ceremony

Iran's military drone program: Growing threat over decades

A drone expert told DW Iran has been improving the technology since the 1980s, giving it "big head start" over rivals.
ConflictsApril 14, 202404:14 min
DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

Eco India – Innovative farming

Apps, drones, meat substitutes, 'zero-budget' approaches: Farming is embracing innovation.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 11, 202426:06 min
A view of Judge Yevhen Mezentsev in his combat uniform in front of a museum-era machine gun he and his colleagues use to shoot down Russian drones

Ukraine: Kyiv's 'drone hunters' defend city against Russia

As Russia steps up its air campaign against Ukraine, judges in Kyiv have swapped robes for camouflage.
ConflictsApril 8, 202402:44 min
A storage area for spent nuclear fuel at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine

Ukraine: Drone attack damages Zaporizhzhia power plant

The IAEA says a building housing a reactor sustained damage after three direct hits but safety was not compromised.
ConflictsApril 7, 2024
One of the World Central Kitchen vehicles hit in the drone attack on Monday

Israel fires officers over deadly drone attack on aid convoy

An investigation said the pair had violated military rules of engagement.
ConflictsApril 5, 2024
The parliament building in Naypyitaw

Myanmar junta says drones shot down over capital

The attack comes with the ruling military junta fighting battles on several fronts against ethnic insurgents.
ConflictsApril 4, 2024
The Danube River close to the city of Braila, near to which the apparent drone fragments were found

NATO's Romania finds possible Russian drone fragments

NATO member Romania says it has discovered possible fragments of a Russian drone near the border with Ukraine.
PoliticsMarch 29, 2024
A man operates a drone in a forest

Drones employed to help with reforestation efforts

A Berlin startup is using drone technology to replenish tree populations from above.
InnovationMarch 28, 202404:23 min
A crouching young man in a green T-shirt holds up a model airplane made from white plastic foam

Young Nigerian turns trash into model airplanes

Bolaji Fatai builds remote-controlled airplanes out of found objects, and hopes to one day work in the drone industry.
SocietyMarch 28, 202401:29 min
A Ukrainian serviceman prepares drone at a position near the town of Horlivka

How drones became critical for Ukraine in war with Russia

A shortage of artillery shells has seen Ukraine become increasingly reliant on drones in its defense against Russia.
ConflictsMarch 25, 202402:53 min
A Syrian man guards his destroyed house in Al-Nayrab

Syria: Suicide drones increasingly targeting civilians

After 13 years of civil war, the situation in Syria is worsening as the government uses armed drones against farmers.
PoliticsMarch 14, 2024
A German warship in the Red Sea almost shot down a US drone in a narrowly averted case of friendly fire, say reports.

German navy almost shot down US drone over Red Sea — reports

A German warship in the Red Sea almost shot down a US drone in a narrowly averted case of friendly fire, say reports.
ConflictsFebruary 28, 2024
Ukraine is having to become more resourceful in building its own weapons for the battlefield.

Ukraine boosts arms production amid supply worries

Ukraine is having to become more resourceful in building its own weapons for the battlefield.
ConflictsFebruary 16, 202403:49 min
Threatening black robot standing in an industrial room

AI on the march—a new age of killer robots?

High tech on the battle field—autonomous drones, transport robots and robotic dogs.
TechnologyFebruary 12, 202404:45 min
A view of destruction after the US warplanes carried out an airstrike on the headquarters of Hashd al-Shaabi in Al-Qa'im city of Anbar, Iraq

US launches strikes in response to Jordan drone attack

The US has launched attacks against targets in Iraq and Syria, in response to a drone attack on a Jordan base last week.
PoliticsFebruary 3, 2024
military base Tower 22

Jordan: Fatal drone attack increases pressure on USA

The fatal drone attack on US troops is only the latest in a series of skirmishes with groups backed by Iran.
ConflictsJanuary 29, 202402:51 min