It actually puzzles me why people think drones are new... they were clunkier but radio control has been around for a long time & you didn't have the camera for instant vision.
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They also tended to be very expensive & had little petrol engines.
Not very useful without video cameras for instant feedback & the ability to fly them out of eyesight but they were there.
Oh i flew R/C gliders in my early teens. Not quite the same but i get your point. 👍🏻
Viable ones have probably been around since the 80s, the military has been playing with UAVs for a very long time for various purposes, mostly as targets or guided bombs.
I can't remember the name of it now but the germans had radio controled bombs from 43 onward. So in one form or another R/C flying things have been around for a very long time.