How Long Drone Concept Has Survived The concept of drones (believed to date back to 1849) aroused due to military needs. As Austria attacked Venice with balloons stuffed with explosives, I'm sure not many imagined UAVs with such efficiency as we have today. After all, only 1 in 200(0.5%) hit the intended target due to environmental factors. Compare that with current drones like the kamikaze !! The idea was powerful despite taking more than a century for companies like Draganfly, Aerovironmental, and others to realize greatness.