This study evaluates the role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in demining operations and environmental monitoring under wartime and post-conflict conditions. A structured literature review (2015–present) assessed UAV-enabled detection, mapping, and environmental sensing capabilities. The results indicate that UAVs significantly enhance reconnaissance efficiency, reduce suspected hazardous areas, and improve safety, yet cannot independently meet humanitarian clearance standards. While wartime use prioritises rapid risk mitigation, post-conflict deployment supports systematic clearance, environmental monitoring, and land restoration. The study highlights a gap in doctrinal integration and underscores the need for standardised UAV-based demining and environmental workflows.
This paper examines how uncrewed platforms and contemporary sensor suites may extend engineer reconnaissance of water obstacles in support of river-crossing planning. The paper combines a structured review of Czech doctrinal practice and candidate sensor-platform combinations with a field experiment carried out on a selected section of the River Svratka, using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-borne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), UAV-borne ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) control points. The combined evaluation indicates that LiDAR is highly effective for bank geometry and approach assessment, whereas GPR can complement it by indicating the longitudinal bed profile and sediment interfaces, albeit with greater interpretative uncertainty.