How did the Israeli Mastiff and Scout drones help locate surface-to-air missiles in Lebanon in 1982?

During the 1982 conflict in Lebanon, the Israeli Tadiran Mastiff and the Scout, produced by Israeli Aircraft Industries, were instrumental in identifying and locating surface-to-air missiles. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) effectively marked the missile sites for destruction by Israeli forces.1

These platforms represented a significant advancement in military technology, as they were among the first battlefield UAVs to successfully exploit emergent technologies—such as reliable miniaturized avionics—to provide persistent surveillance and target acquisition in a contested environment. By successfully demonstrating the ability to locate and designate targets, these Israeli systems pioneered the tactical use of drones that would later influence the development of modern uncrewed systems globally, including those used by the United States.12