You believe that the media (and everyone else) is referencing 'the target towing DH Queen Bee aircraft of the 1930/40s' when they refer to drones?
I really don't know why everyone gets their knickers in a twist over the term. The objections to its use from the MoD etc are down it being a politcally charged term that makes their job of selling their use harder, not because of any techincal inaccuracy.
It has entered the popular vernacular, and is in the dictionary as such, so let it go.
drone
1 /droʊn/ Show Spelled [drohn] Show IPA
noun 1. the male of the honeybee and other bees, stingless and making no honey. See illus. under
bee.
2. a. an unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human
control or beyond
line of sight: the GPS of a U.S. spy drone.
b. (loosely) any unmanned aircraft or ship that is guided remotely: a radio-controlled drone.
3. a person who lives on the labor of others; parasitic loafer.
4. a drudge.