Though they may seem like something quintessentially 21st century, UAVs or drones have been around for well over a hundred years. During the First World War, the United States and Britain experimented with radio-controlled aircraft and aerial bombs that were explosive-laden airplanes with detachable wings. In the Second World War, Germany deployed the notorious V-1, which was history's first jet-powered cruise missile. By the time of the Vietnam war, American drones were being used for the first time for counter-insurgency operations, and cruise missiles were evolving as part of the strategic and tactical arsenals of the major powers. When the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq occurred, the public saw increasingly sophisticated drones being used not only for reconnaissance, but also for targeting terrorists with air-to-surface missiles.