Mission pod for unattended UAV operations

A mission pod configured to be carried by a UAV or other aerial vehicle and accompanying systems and methods to allow the unattended accomplishment of diverse mission types is described. The mission pod having means for communication between the pod and UAV, mechanisms for removably attaching the pod to, and detaching the pod from, the UAV without the intervention of ground crew, mechanisms for facilitating power, fuel, and/or data transfer between the pod and UAV, means for securing various mission components within the pod, and pod configurations supporting various sensing modalities and other mission requirements.