A system and method for rapidly modifying flight mission plans for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is described. This includes a programming controller that requests the name of the existing flight mission in the UAV. When the requested name of the existing flight mission in the UAV is found to be the same name as that of the desired flight mission in the programming controller then the UAV is simply enabled by the programming controller to carry out the desired flight mission. When the requested name of the existing flight mission in the UAV is found not to be the same name as the modified flight mission in the programming controller then the programming controller creates and provides instructions to the UAV for rapidly updating the existing flight mission into the desired flight mission. These rapid updating instructions are similar to currently used ways of synchronizing personal computers in point-in-time procedures.