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pilotless aircraft

American  

noun

  1. an aircraft equipped for operation by radio or by robot control, without a human pilot aboard; drone.


Etymology

Origin of pilotless aircraft

First recorded in 1940–45; pilot + -less

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Archer didn’t disclose details of the investments from Boeing, United and Ark. The company said it will save significant development costs by sourcing autonomy technology from Boeing’s Wisk, which is focused on pilotless aircraft.

From Seattle Times Aug. 10, 2023

Working at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., he joined a group of engineers renowned for their imaginative work on pilotless aircraft and rocket technology.

From Washington Post Jun. 3, 2022

Unfortunately, it seems these are the last days of envelope-pushing men and women in naval aviation; pilotless aircraft are more reliable and they’re next.

From Washington Times May 12, 2022

It added that the business jet industry could save up to $3bn and civil helicopters about $2.1bn by introducing pilotless aircraft.

From BBC Aug. 8, 2017

The public congressional hearing on "drone-kill policy" was noteworthy: government officials refrained for years from even uttering the word "drone" when talking about the use of armed, pilotless aircraft because such operations were classified.

From Reuters Feb. 27, 2013

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