In examining UAS, we must look at two distinctive types of systems: ___ and ___.

• A. Autonomous and Remotely Controlled
• B. Manned and Autonomous
• C. Fixed-wing and Rotary-wing
• D. Small and Large

Answer: (A)

The important idea here is how the unmanned system is controlled. UAS come in two broad control modalities: autonomous operation, where the aircraft can execute a mission and make decisions on its own using onboard systems and pre-programmed instructions; and remotely controlled operation, where a pilot on the ground directly controls the aircraft through a remote link, with real-time input guiding its flight. These two describe how the vehicle is managed during flight, not its size, airframe type, or whether a crew is on board. That’s why autonomous and remotely controlled is the best pairing. The other options mix in attributes like crew presence, airframe configuration, or size, which don’t define the two primary control modalities of UAS.