Tactical Research on Military UAVs: Hotspots, Evolution and Frontier Prospects(Visual Analysis Based on CiteSpace for Chinese Core Thematic Literature in CNKI)

Abstract

As a core element in the evolution of modern warfare patterns, military UAV tactics form a tactical system integrating aerospace engineering, artificial intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance, and precision strike technologies, covering mission planning, cooperative operations, anti-jamming protection, and effectiveness evaluation. To clarify its development context and laws, this study takes 354 core journal papers (Peking University Core Journals) indexed in CNKI from 1993 to 2025 as samples, using CiteSpace combined with bibliometric and knowledge graph methods to analyze academic ecology, hotspots, evolution paths, and frontiers. The results show that the field focuses on military UAV swarm operation systems and combat modes, forming a "technological breakthrough → tactical verification → actual combat testing" paradigm; hotspots present a "technology → tactics → confrontation" three-dimensional structure; evolution follows "technology-driven → tactical iteration → system reconstruction" logic; frontiers converge on technology empowerment, tactical form, and actual combat confrontation. The research promotes tactical iteration from "laboratory" to "battlefield" and facilitates "new-quality combat forces" innovation.