A Bibliometric Analysis on The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Comparative Study of Russia and Türkiye

In recent years, rapid technological developments in information and communication technologies have increased the strategic value of UAVs. In this study, the development processes in terms of UAV technology in Turkey and Russia and their integration into the civil and defense sectors are analyzed comparatively. The two countries have pursued alternative strategies in terms of geographical, industrial, and strategic environments and have invested heavily in UAV technology. This study aims to contribute to scientific studies by determining thematic trends, technological areas, and strategic priorities in terms of UAV studies and applications in both countries. Using bibliometric analysis techniques, annual publications, keyword analysis, and trends in cooperation networks were analyzed in terms of information obtained from the Scopus database between 2005-2025. According to the analysis, Russia focuses on military use of UAV technology and has developed significant improvements in terms of swarm control systems, energy efficiency, and secure communication. Turkey, on the other hand, supports domestic production in the defense sector as well as in civilian applications such as agriculture, disaster management, and infrastructure monitoring, and focuses on 5G integration with artificial intelligence-based optimizations. In this study, individual approaches of Türkiye and Russia in terms of UAV technology and their value in terms of international defense and sustainable development were emphasized and it was determined that UAV technology has a widespread potential in terms of both scientific and applicable studies.