Aircraft & UAVs

Armed UAV

Also known as
  • armed drone
  • combat UAV
  • UCAV
  • unmanned combat aerial vehicle
  • armed unmanned aircraft

Armed UAVs are military drones configured to carry guided weapons while still performing surveillance and target-acquisition duties. In the 2020 Tigray War, investigative reporting tied Ethiopian government drone strikes to the campaign, making armed UAVs a major part of the conflict's air war even when the underlying airframes varied by supplier.

Armed UAV, Armed unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Bayraktar TB2 Ground.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Various military supply chains
Built in
Various
Type
Armed unmanned aerial vehicle
Service note
1990s-present; documented in the 2020 Tigray War
Designer
Various military UAV designers
Designed
1990s-present
Unit cost
Varies by platform, sensor fit, and munition load
Produced
1990s-present
Number built
Model-dependent and not publicly consolidated

Specifications

Crew
0
Control
Remotely piloted, with line-of-sight or beyond-line-of-sight links depending on the platform
Payload
Guided bombs, missiles, or mixed ISR and strike payloads depending on the airframe
Endurance
Typically hours; some medium-altitude systems exceed 20 hours
Mission set
Surveillance, target acquisition, and precision strike
Representative Platforms

Representative armed UAV platforms span different supply chains, payload scales, and operating concepts, from light MALE systems to larger remotely piloted aircraft.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Bayraktar TB2, Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, Aircraft & UAVsBayraktar TB2Medium-altitude armed UAV

Baykar identifies the TB2 as an armed MALE UAV with ISR payloads, autonomous flight functions, and munitions including MAM-L and MAM-C.

Sources: Bayraktar TB2, Baykar TB2 munition loadout

Mohajer-6, Armed intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance UAV, Aircraft & UAVsMohajer-6Armed ISTAR UAV

Bellingcat's Tigray War investigation geolocated likely Mohajer-6 airframes and a ground-control station at Semara, making the Iranian design a documented armed-UAV example on this page.

Sources: Is Ethiopia Flying Iranian-Made Armed Drones?

MQ-9 Reaper, Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVsMQ-9 ReaperLong-endurance remotely piloted aircraft

General Atomics describes the MQ-9A as a long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft with surveillance/strike capability, while the U.S. Air Force lists Hellfire and guided-bomb armament.

Sources: MQ-9A Reaper, MQ-9 Reaper Fact Sheet

Representative Carried Munitions

Armed UAV payloads vary by airframe, export configuration, and integration work; these linked munitions are representative examples documented on Baykar, Roketsan, and U.S. Air Force materials.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
MAM-L guided bomb, Laser-guided smart micro munition, MunitionsMAM-L guided bombGuided bomb

Baykar lists MAM-L among TB2-carried munitions, and Roketsan identifies MAM-L as a smart micro munition developed for UAVs, light attack aircraft, and air-to-ground missions.

Sources: Baykar TB2 munition loadout, Payload Systems, MAM-L Smart Micro Munition - Roketsan

MAM-C guided bomb, Laser-guided smart micro munition, MunitionsMAM-C guided bombLaser-guided bomb

Baykar lists MAM-C among the Bayraktar TB2's national munitions, and Roketsan describes MAM-C as a lightweight laser-guided bomb for UAV and light attack aircraft use.

Sources: Baykar TB2 munition loadout, Payload Systems, MAM-C Smart Micro Munition - Roketsan

AGM-114 Hellfire missile family, Air-to-surface missile family, MunitionsAGM-114 Hellfire missile familyAir-to-ground missile family

U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper fact sheets document armed UAV carriage and employment of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, which makes the Hellfire family a representative armed-UAV munition.

Sources: MQ-9 Reaper Fact Sheet

Mk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit, 500-pound guided-bomb configuration, MunitionsMk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kitLaser-guided bomb

U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper fact sheets document carriage of GBU-12 Paveway II guided bombs; the linked record covers Mk 82-class bodies fitted with Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kits.

Sources: MQ-9 Reaper Fact Sheet

Armed UAV Classes

Armed UAV is a class label rather than one airframe. The examples below show common subtypes where surveillance, control links, payload weight, and munition integration shape how the aircraft is used.

MALE strike UAV

Medium-altitude systems such as the Bayraktar TB2 combine long-endurance ISR with precision munitions on a relatively light airframe.

Long-endurance RPA

Larger remotely piloted aircraft such as the MQ-9 carry heavier external stores and sensor payloads for persistent surveillance and strike missions.

Armed ISTAR UAV

Systems such as the Mohajer-6 sit closer to tactical armed reconnaissance, pairing surveillance feeds with a limited precision-strike payload.

Media

Armed UAV Videos

Armed UAV Images

Armed UAV, Armed unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: MQ-9 Reaper UAV.jpg
Armed UAV, Armed unmanned aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Mohajer-6.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Improvised drones, Improvised military drone class, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsImprovised dronesImprovised military drone classImprovised drones are locally modified or field-assembled uncrewed aerial systems built from commercial quadcopters, FPV airframes, agricultural-drone parts, and workshop-made payload fittings. The record tracks a distributed weapon class rather than one factory model: Islamic State, Ukrainian and Russian forces, Hamas, Israeli units in Gaza, and Myanmar armed actors all adapted small UAVs for reconnaissance, bomb drops, assault support, and low-cost strike roles.
FPV drones, First-person-view small UAV / one-way attack drone, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsFPV dronesFirst-person-view small UAV / one-way attack droneFPV drones are small first-person-view UAVs adapted from racing-drone and commercial quadcopter technology into tactical reconnaissance and one-way attack systems. Russia and Ukraine turned them into mass battlefield consumables, while later reporting from Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Syria, Sudan, and Mexico shows the same control-link, payload, and low-cost adaptation pattern spreading to state forces, insurgents, and organized armed groups.
Bayraktar TB2, Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsBayraktar TB2Medium-altitude long-endurance UAVThe Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish MALE armed UAV built by Baykar for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and precision strike missions. Developed from 2012 and delivered to Turkish inventory in 2014, Baykar reports more than 1.25 million operational flight hours, and the aircraft became one of the most visible armed drones of the 2020s through documented use in Ukraine, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Sahel, Sudan, Somalia, and other conflicts.
Armed commercial quadcopter drone, Weaponized commercial quadcopter UAV, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsArmed commercial quadcopter droneWeaponized commercial quadcopter UAVArmed commercial quadcopter drones are civilian off-the-shelf multirotor UAVs adapted for battlefield surveillance, target observation, propaganda filming, and short-range explosive delivery. In the Lake Chad basin, reporting links ISWAP and Boko Haram-linked forces to a late-2024 shift from ISR and propaganda drone use toward armed quadcopter attacks carrying locally made or locally fabricated grenades against Nigerian military positions in Borno and Yobe.

Sources

Bayraktar TB2Publisher: Baykar Technologies | Note: Supports armed UAV background and representative specifications, including armed/MALE status, endurance, payload, autonomous control, and precision-strike capability; representative class source, not 2020 Tigray War use evidence. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MQ-9A ReaperPublisher: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems | Note: Supports armed UAV background and representative specifications, including multi-mission remotely piloted strike and ISR capability, endurance, payload, and weapons carriage; representative class source, not 2020 Tigray War use evidence. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MQ-9 Reaper Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports the MQ-9 Reaper as an armed UAV carrier platform for AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-12-class guided bombs. | Accessed: 2026-07-04How Ethiopia used a Turkish drone in a strike that killed nearly 60 civiliansPublisher: The Washington Post | Note: Supports 2020 Tigray War direct use: Ethiopian government forces used a Turkish armed drone in the January 2022 Dedebit strike in Tigray, with MAM-L munition evidence tied to a TB2-class strike. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Is Ethiopia Flying Iranian-Made Armed Drones?Publisher: Bellingcat | Note: Supports 2020 Tigray War direct use: Ethiopian government forces fielded likely Mohajer-6 armed UAVs in Tigray, with Semara imagery showing two drones and a ground-control station. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Bayraktar TB2 Ground.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing page for the primary Bayraktar TB2 image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MQ-9 Reaper UAV.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page for the MQ-9 Reaper gallery image, indicating U.S. Air Force public-domain media context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Mohajer-6.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance page and CC BY 4.0 licensing context for the Mohajer-6 gallery image; Commons notes attribution and watermark-removal context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Baykar TB2 munition loadoutPublisher: Baykar | Note: Supports Baykar's documentation that the Bayraktar TB2 carries MAM-L and MAM-C among its national munitions. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Payload SystemsPublisher: Baykar | Note: Supports Baykar's description of MAM-L and MAM-C as laser-guided bombs for armed UAVs and light attack aircraft. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MAM-L Smart Micro Munition - RoketsanPublisher: Roketsan | Note: Supports Roketsan's product background for MAM-L as a smart micro munition used by UAVs and air-to-ground platforms. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MAM-C Smart Micro Munition - RoketsanPublisher: Roketsan | Note: Supports Roketsan's product background for MAM-C as a lightweight smart micro munition developed for UAVs, light attack aircraft, and air-to-ground missions. | Accessed: 2026-07-04