Know the difference between UAS, USV, and UAV? Drone Terms Explained

Explore the abundance of terms being used to describe the evolving technology

What exactly are drones? Are they for land? Or sea? Are they amphibious? Do they fly, or float, or sink? Yes, to all of the above. People use flying drones to deliver packages, take epic selfies, create light shows, track and map storms, and fight wildfires. People also use the term “drone” broadly, but as the technology adds capabilities and shifts shapes and functions, the language for describing it has become complex and important to understand.

For example, “autonomous” and “uncrewed” (or “unmanned”) are not equivalent terms. “Uncrewed” means nobody’s aboard; people are working with the drone somewhere, determining flight paths and direction. Autonomous systems can make decisions on their own, powered by computer programming or artificial intelligence. A vessel may be uncrewed but not autonomous, for example, if it is remotely controlled. The International Maritime Organization’s “four degrees of autonomy” framework reflects this distinction where a “Degree Three” ship is remotely controlled from another location with no seafarers onboard; a “Degree Four” ship is fully autonomous with an operating system that “can make decisions and determine actions by itself.” 

The term “unmanned” benefits from both historical and widespread use, but it lacks precision—after all, an unmanned system still relies on a person operator somewhere in the process. Because its gender-neutral synonym “uncrewed” retains the same issues, there’s been hesitation by some to adopt it. But the use of “uncrewed” has taken hold among organizations—NOAA, the Department of Defense, NASA, and NATO, to name a few—fueled by increasing requests for this change, the growing audience for aerospace, and efforts to deepen inclusion. “Unmanned” and its synonym “uncrewed” are both readily understood and increasingly often are used interchangeably.

From Conflict Comes Change

The Ukraine-Russia war has played a significant role in the evolution of both drones and their definitions. In February 2022, after Russian troops invaded, Ukraine led front-line, deep-strike attacks with swarms of first-person-view (FPV) drones, which are radio-controlled, high-speed, often camera-equipped quadcopters. The Ukrainians would later use sea drones, uncrewed surface vessels, to strike Russian ships and offshore infrastructure in the Black Sea. Small drones controlled by optic fibers also became commonplace because of  their immunity to electronic warfare countermeasures. By November 2025, nonprofit news organization The Conversation described 14 kinds of drones that had been involved in the Ukraine and Russia war. They include:

Multicopter drones: General-purpose drones for battlefield reconnaissance, GPS jamming, hostile drone intercepting, small mine and bomb dropping, electronic warfare, and communications relay.

Aircraft-style drones: Reusable one-way drones in two varieties, kamikaze and loitering. Used in long-range strikes on cities targeting infrastructure and transport.

Counterdrones: Amalgamations of gun systems, electromagnetic pulse systems, surface-to-air missiles, and backpack and vehicle-mounted electronic jammers.

Fiber optic drones have become commonplace in the war between Ukraine and Russia. (Photo by U.S. Army Europe-Africa)

Structurally speaking, “drones” can be small quadcopters or aerial commercial vehicles; they can be ground-based wheeled robots like the ones delivering food across college campuses; or they can be the US Navy’s new 240-metric-ton autonomous ship. The Center for New American Security, a think tank, breaks drones into three categories: hobbyist, midsize military and commercial drones, and large military-specific drones. 

This brings us to the alphabet soup of terminology describing drones. Gimme a U! And an A! And an S and a V! What’s that spell? It depends.

What Do A, S, U, V and All Those Other Drone Terms Mean? 

Adding to the confusion around drone terms are the letters A, S, U, and V. Although commonly used in the acronyms that describe the different types of drones, all four letters might mean at least three or more different things themselves. For example, what’s the difference between AUV and UAV?

A: Aerial, aircraft, autonomous, air, or altitude

S: System, surface, subsurface, solar, satellite, or small

U: Uncrewed, unmanned, undersea, or underwater

V: Vehicle, vessel, or view

AUV: Autonomous undersea/underwater vehicle: Alternate name for uncrewed underwater vehicle that is operated remotely and tether-free. Useful for underwater mapping and detecting and surveying submerged objects, such as wrecked ships.

FPV: First-person-view: A camera-equipped drone that delivers video, giving the on-the-ground pilot an in-the-flight-deck experience. Some racing varieties of FPVs can fly faster than 80 miles per hour.

HAPS: High-altitude pseudo-satellite: Drone that flies at very high altitudes for long durations.

LRAUV: Long-range AUV: Uncrewed underwater vehicle/vessel designed to explore upper-ocean space and last for long periods. Because these craft have ultralow energy transit modes, they can run without support ships’ aid. 

MAV: Micro air vehicle: A drone small enough to fit in a palm.

ROAV: Remotely operated aerial vehicle: Similar to UAV; often used in specific industries.

ROV: Remotely operated underwater vehicle/vessel: This underwater drone is connected by tethers to other crafts and piloted by people.

ROUV: Remotely operated underwater vehicle: An alternative name for an ROV.

RPA: Remotely piloted aircraft (alternative definition for UAV): Often used in commercial duties.

RPAS: Remote-piloted aircraft system.

SAUV: Solar autonomous underwater vehicle: It uses visible light, particularly in the spectrum’s green to blue regions, for energy.

UAS: Uncrewed aircraft system: Combination of an UAV (defined later) and its ancillary equipment such as ground control and GPS modules, cameras, software, transmission systems, and human operators.

sUAS: Small uncrewed aerial system.

UAV: Uncrewed aerial vehicle: Note that UAV refers only to an airborne drone itself, but not its ancillary accessories and equipment.

UCAV: Uncrewed combat air vehicle: A drone designed to carry weapons.

UGV: Uncrewed ground vehicle: First developed by DARPA, part of the Department of Defense, in the 1980s.

USV: Uncrewed surface vehicle/vessel: Remotely operated vessels operating on water surfaces.

UUV: Uncrewed underwater vehicles/vessel: Used on coasts and open sea. Piloted through sensor-responsive directives in the deep and perhaps GPS near the surface.

UV: Underwater vehicle, or uncrewed underwater vessel/vehicle: In some cases, the UV can stand for ultraviolet. Drones equipped with UV-C lights, for example, deliver high-energy electromagnetic radiation at 180- to 280-nanometer-width wavelengths to disinfect surfaces and water.

UVS: Uncrewed vehicle system: These are systems driving uncrewed vehicles through physical spaces.

UxS: Uncrewed system: Umbrella term for all types of drones. In some instances, the x can stand for experimental.

UxV: Uncrewed vehicle: Alternate umbrella term for all types of drones. In some instances, the x can stand for experimental.

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