Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first recorded use of an unmanned aerial vehicle for warfighting occurred in July 1849, when Austrian forces besieging Venice attempted to launch around 200 incendiary balloons at the city. Some were launched from the Austrian ship Vulcano. Wind shifts caused most to miss their target, and some drifted back over Austrian lines.
A. M. Low's "Aerial Target" in 1916 was the earliest attempt at a powered UAV. Low confirmed that Geoffrey de Havilland's monoplane flew under radio control on the 21st of March 1917 using Low's radio system, marking the first successful demonstration of remotely piloted flight.
The USAF 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing flew approximately 3,435 UAV missions during the Vietnam War, losing around 554 aircraft to all causes. The U.S. military officially confirmed its use of UAVs in Southeast Asia in 1973.
By 2025, DJI accounted for 80% of the world consumer drone market, with Chinese drone companies overall holding 90% of global UAV market share. DJI held 74% of the civil market in 2018, with no other single company holding more than 5% at that time.
The QinetiQ Zephyr 7 holds a record of 336 hours and 22 minutes aloft, flying from the 9th to the 23rd of July 2010, a total of 14 days. Airbus's Zephyr in 2023 surpassed this by flying for 64 days, with a stated target of 200 days.
DJI released the first Phantom drone in 2013 at a price of $629, making it an entry-level, fully assembled model that was far more user-friendly than competing products. It is credited as one of the most influential consumer drone products ever made, introducing the modern aerial photography drone form factor to the general public. By 2017, DJI had captured over 75% of the global consumer drone market.