Proliferation of Unmanned Aerial and Maritime Vehicles in Military Operations Andrija LJULJ a,1 , Vedran SLAPNIČAR b , Dražen SMILJANIĆ a a University of Defence and Security dr. Franjo Tuđman, Zagreb, Croatia b University of Zagreb Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture ORCID ID: Andrija Ljulj https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1990-2325, Dražen Smiljanić https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5759-7683, Vedran Slapničar https://orcid.org/0000-0002- 3175-2542 Abstract. This paper presents an analysis of the proliferation of unmanned aerial and maritime vehicles (UAMVs) and their implications for future military opera- tions. Although initially, the development and production of such vehicles were un- der state control, they recently moved to the private sector, and their capabilities were constantly improved. They are used for civilian and military purposes. Since there has been a drastic drop in the cost of UAMV production, they are becoming available to almost all armed forces, while previously, it was the privilege of only a few countries. The rapid development of UAMV for military purposes is considered as a new technological revolution that is already significantly changing the character and way of conducting armed conflicts, and it is estimated that their participation and importance in future potential disputes will be increased. The development of UAMVs and their use in armed conflicts has led to their proliferation and production race. The paper analyses the experience of UAMV use in recent military conflicts and identifies its advantages and limitations. Finally, it draws conclusions and rec- ommendations for strategic military planners on implementing those technological changes within the armed forces and provides an adequate response to this threat. Keywords. Unmanned aerial and maritime vehicles, armed forces, military opera- tions, strategy 1. Introduction The term unmanned aerial and maritime vehicle (UAMV) is used when referring to both types of vehicles (aerial and maritime), and the term unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is used when referring only to maritime vehicles. The use of unmanned aerial and maritime vehicles (UAMV) in military operations has shown an increasing trend since the begin- ning of the 21 st century. Regardless of the character of the conflict and physical, opera- tional environment, including the War on terrorism in the early 2000s and confrontations in Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine, the phenomenon of proliferation has become apparent. Thanks to their characteristics, comprising endurance, cost-effective- ness and remoteness, this technology has become a regular part of the defence capabili- ties of many countries' armed forces. These characteristics led to UAMVs’ proliferation 1 Corresponding Author: Andrija Ljulj, andrija.ljulj@sois-ft.hr Theory and Practice of Shipbuilding N. Degiuli et al. (Eds.) IOS Press, 2024 © 2024 IOS Press. All rights reserved. doi:10.3233/PMST240043 246