In recent years, some weapon manufacturers have started to develop a delta wing drone, such as Russia's "Gezhouju" cruise missile that has been put into combat, the MQM-172 "Arrow" drone launched by American aerospace companies, and the PLargonia drone designed by the Polish Air Force Institute of Technology. In addition to adopting a unified delta wing layout, these drones also have a common feature of being equipped with small piston engines. This type of engine produces a sound similar to that of a motorcycle when running, hence it is also known as an "aerial scooter". When did this triangular wing layout drone originate? What's the difference between today and the past? What are the reasons for countries competing in research and development? Please see - unmanned aerial vehicles with a configuration similar to "aerial motorcycles" appeared earlier. In the 1980s, DAR drones developed by companies in Germany and the United States, as well as the ARD-10 drone design proposed by a South African company, all adopted this configuration. Later, Israel Aerospace Industries continued to develop on this basis and developed the Harp and Harp drones. However, the "main business" of Harpy and Halop drones is anti radar, which not only uses advanced technology, but also has high requirements for manufacturing processes, resulting in their high prices and difficulty in large-scale use. The "airborne small motorcycles" currently being developed by various countries resemble these anti radar unmanned aerial vehicles, but are not divine. The concept of 'divine non' is mainly reflected in two aspects: firstly, the main target of attack becomes a ground target; The second is to 'subtract' from the components and materials used. For example, the fuselage of the "Gerbera" patrol missile is made of foam, laminated plywood and light composite plastics. To some extent, the current development of "aerial scooters" by various countries is more or less inspired by Iran's "Witness-136" drone. The Witness-136 drone made its first public appearance in 2021, with a length of 3.5 meters and a wingspan of 2.5 meters. Due to its low cost, long range, and high power, the aircraft was later introduced by Russia and localized for use in combat. According to public information, in the first week of May this year, Russia's self-produced "airborne motorcycle" - the "Geranium-2" unmanned aerial vehicle - had a deployment of up to 1002 aircraft, putting considerable pressure on Ukraine's air defense system. The increasing number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of this type being deployed in actual combat and achieving significant results have made "aerial motorcycles" a focus of attention and competition among countries for research and development. The main reasons why the "aerial scooter" has attracted such great attention worldwide are as follows. Firstly, the configuration of this type of drone has a certain degree of scalability. Compared with other drone configurations, the delta wing layout provides a larger internal space for the drone, which can accommodate more fuel, payload, and more powerful warheads, and the internal layout can be adjusted as needed. After localizing and producing the "Witness" series of drones, Russia has developed the simple and relatively inexpensive "Gezhouju" cruise missile, as well as the "Great Vulture A1" drone that can perform strike missions in complex environments. After the Ukrainian mobile firepower team equipped with searchlights and high-speed machine guns posed a threat to the "Geranium" unmanned aerial vehicle that used low altitude flight in the early days, the Russian side quickly responded and raised the flight altitude of the "Geranium" unmanned aerial vehicle to about 4 kilometers, fully reflecting its high expandability. Secondly, it has significant cost advantages. The cost of an "aerial scooter" is relatively low, for example, the estimated cost of a "Witness-136" drone is only $20000 to $30000. However, the power of the "airborne motorcycle" is not small. If the opponent fails to intercept, the tens of kilograms of warhead it carries may bring devastating consequences once it hits the target. Some countries have had to use air defense missiles to intercept the "airborne motorcycles", and even short-range air defense missiles can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, the frequent use of "airborne small motorcycles" means that even if the defending side can shoot down most of the incoming drones, the economic cost they pay is much higher than that of the attacking side. This significant cost advantage has made it highly favored by many countries. Once again, it can effectively strike some strategic targets in depth. The emergence of the "airborne small motorcycle" has to some extent filled the gap in the use of artillery and manned fighter jets to strike strategic targets of opponents. The range of 30 kilometers to over a thousand kilometers enables the "airborne small motorcycle" to strike numerous important military assets of its opponents without worrying too much about the safety of its own personnel. Currently, some countries' research and development companies are still endowing "aerial small motorcycles" with longer range, enabling them to strike more long-range targets. The Artemis ALM-20 drone, developed in collaboration between an American company and a Ukrainian company, has a target range of 1600 kilometers. In order to better strike deep targets, some weapon manufacturers have also endowed "aerial small motorcycles" with artificial intelligence and autonomous navigation capabilities, enabling them to achieve efficient strikes. The potential of this type of drone application is still emerging. In this regard, Russia's use of "air motorcycles" is somewhat representative. By using different functions and types of "air motorcycles" in combination, the Russian military has increased the success rate of breakthrough. The Russian military even attempted to temporarily shut down the engine during the dive attack of the "air scooter" to reduce its acoustic and infrared characteristics. The PLargonia drone presents another potential application, as it combines training system and cruise missile functions. This year, the US Department of Defense showcased a "low-cost unmanned combat attack system" developed by a company, which is equivalent to adding network centric warfare functions to the "Witness-136" drone replica, such as accessing battlefield data networks to undertake communication relay or distributed situational awareness tasks. In short, with the attention of various countries, the development of "aerial motorcycles" is flourishing. Meanwhile, more changes are still happening, such as some "aerial motorcycles" being designed to be compatible with electric motors in order to reduce flight noise and thermal signals. From this perspective, the name "Air Little Motorcycle" is no longer truly deserving of its name. (New Society)