General question about drones and missiles

[sksvlad]

What is the difference between drones and missiles? Both are aerial vehicles, both are guided by software, and (I assume) guided missiles have a software mode when their targets can be changed. This question is because of my ignorance.

 

[pzgr40]

I think the best explenation is that a drone can loiter the battlefield, a missle cannot.

 

[glevum]

Some guided missiles can loiter.

Alarm is one example.

I think these days the two terms are interchangeable

 

[sksvlad]

The reason I ask this is that the news keeps on saying that so-and-so launched an attack using 100 missiles and 1000 drones. All of them are designed to explode at the target.

 

[glevum]

Anything that is thrown as a weapon can be called a missile

News reporters are not known for the accuracy of their reporting.

 

[pzgr40]

The reason I ask this is that the news keeps on saying that so-and-so launched an attack using 100 missiles and 1000 drones. All of them are designed to explode at the target.

I think in this case they mean supersonic vehicles with missiles and propellor driven -iranian- vehicles with drones.

 

[glevum]

There is a lot of overlap.

Ukraine is producing turbojet powered drones like the Palianytsia which are much faster than the propellor driven drones.

Conventional Cruise missiles are generally subsonic