UKRAINIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS USE FOR STRIKES ON ENEMY FORCES IN ARMED CONFLICTS OF THE LATE 20TH AND EARLY 21ST CENTURIES

The purpose of the article is to explore the representation of the use of unmanned aerial systems as means of firepower in Ukrainian historiography. Research methodology. During the research, both general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis were used, as well as specific historical methods, including the problem-chronological approach and the method of historical comparison. Scientific novelty. The article presents the first analysis and synthesis of the key findings of Ukrainian scholars on the combat use of unmanned aerial vehicles for strikes on enemy forces in armed conflicts of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It identifiesthe extent of coverage of this topic in existing research and highlights the least explored aspects. Conclusions. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Ukrainian scholars actively researched the history of the combat use of unmanned aerial vehicles in armed conflicts. A number of fundamental scientific works were published by domestic researchers, along with a limited number of doctoral dissertations, and a significant volume of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The topic of combat use of unmanned aerial vehicles was repeatedly discussed at various scientific forums. The primary research areas included the general history of unmanned aviation, the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, and their application in specific military conflicts. The most extensively researched topics include the use of reconnaissance unmanned aerial systems, the factors that influenced the development and deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles, and their integration with other elements within reconnaissance-strike complexes. The application of unmanned aerial vehicles as carriers of aviation strike systems and loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) has received considerably less attention. As for the coverage of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in countering the large-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, there is an ongoing accumulation and preliminary analysis of information, the results of which have been published in the works of some researchers. Article received: 12.05.25. Approved for publication: 10.07.25. Published: 27.01.26.