The Vietnam War marked a turning point for UAS development to support a variety of
operations during the war. “1,016 AQM-34 Lightning Bugs and Firebees flew 3,435 sorties
during which 544 were lost … for an overall mission success rate of over 84 percent” (Newcome
2004, 86). The ubiquity of the drones throughout the war and their various missions, from air
defense and communication intelligence to leaflet dropping, solidified the functions of UASs in a
modern military arsenal. High altitude and vertical lift-off drones were also developed during
Vietnam but, typically, interest waned after the war and foreign UAV programs soon became
global leaders. No country developed and employed UAV technology more prolifically than
Israel which began research in 1970 and continued at a fervid pace