unmanned

American  

[uhn-mand] / ˌʌnˈmænd /

adjective

1. without the physical presence of a person or people on board; uncrewed.

   an unmanned spacecraft.

2. Falconry. (of a captured hawk) untrained for hunting with a master; unmade.

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unmanned British  

/ ʌnˈmænd /

adjective

1. lacking personnel or crew

   an unmanned ship

2. (of aircraft, spacecraft, etc) operated by automatic or remote control

3. uninhabited

4. falconry (of a hawk or falcon) not yet trained to accept humans

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Etymology

Origin of unmanned

First recorded in 1535–45; un- ¹ ( def. ) + manned ( def. )

Example Sentences

Other work by Chinese researchers takes a similar approach, tweaking algorithms based on the behavior of ants, sheep, coyotes and whales to eke out theoretical improvements in the ability of unmanned systems to collaborate.

From The Wall Street Journal

The billions of private capital flowing into defense tech will help, but the U.S. still isn’t buying and operating unmanned platforms at scale.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ukrainian firms are already partnering with U.S. companies to develop prototypes of one-way, long-range unmanned aerial systems.

From Barron's

“It’s multiples of billions that will be spent on a layered defense that is going to have to defend against unmanned systems,” Mengucci said on CACI’s latest earnings call.

From Barron's

In August 2023, it became the fourth nation to land an unmanned craft on the Moon after Russia, the United States and China.

From Barron's