Objective Traditional inspection methods suffer from low efficiency, high risk, and limited coverage; therefore, the application value of UAV （unmanned aerial vehicles） in urban rail transit inspection is explored.

Method The technical advantages, key technologies, and application scenarios of UAV-based inspection are introduced, and the development trends of UAV inspection are analyzed in combination with practical cases.

Result & Conclusion  UAV-based inspection enables rapid and accurate inspection of urban rail transit infrastructure, significantly improving inspection efficiency and safety while reducing operation and maintenance costs, and can provide important technical support for the construction of smart urban rail transit systems.