Which country leads the world in drone technology and production?

Israel is now the largest exporter of drones in the world and has set up subsidiaries in other countries, including Columbus, Miss., to increase drone production and sales. Israeli companies export drone technology to at least 24 countries, including the United States. Israeli drone technology, like all of its military development, is largely subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer in the form of billions of dollars of yearly military aid.

Israel was the first country to develop modern unmanned aerial vehicle technology, and to use it on a mass scale in a military operation — its 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In the chilling words of a senior Israeli official, the country has been able to position itself on the cutting edge of drone technology because of “combat experience that helps us understand what we need and immediate operational use since we are always in a conflict which allows us to perfect our systems.”