To tackle a host of challenges, such as the lack of intelligence and autonomy in the existing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system as well as the need for frequent manual intervention in task execution, this paper explores the intelligent operation in the execution of UAV tasks. Additionally, this paper deeply investigates the subsystems with high intelligent demands in UAV systems, analyzing their realization based on the existing technology. Finally, the prospect concerning the intelligent control of UAVs in combination with the actual situation is discussed.