The International Aerial Robotics Competition is the world's longest-running aerial robotics challenge, founded in 1991, predating the commercial drone industry by more than two decades. IARC sets a new mission every few years that is deliberately impossible to complete with available technology, designed to advance the frontier of autonomous flight. Mission 7, set in 2014, required autonomous indoor drones to herd ground robots through a course without GPS, driving innovation in optical flow navigation and onboard computer vision. Mission 8, set in 2019, required drones to navigate autonomously between two buildings and land on a moving aerial platform. Georgia Tech Aerial Robotics Club has been the most consistent US performer over the competition history. Missions are often not completed for several years after being set, reflecting the competition role as a genuine technology push rather than a demonstration event.