A modular housing structure (1501, 1502, 1503) for housing a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, comprising: a plurality of modular housing sections configured to hold a plurality of UAVs, the plurality of modular housing sections vertically stackable, each one of the modular housing sections including: a landing pad sized to land a given UAV of the UAVs, the landing pad mechanically actuated to extend from an interior of a given modular housing section to receive and deploy the given UAV and withdraw into the interior, and charging electronics disposed in or on the landing pad and configured to charge the given UAV, wherein the modular housing structure supports a scalable number of the UAVs based on a number of the modular housing sections vertically stacked on each other at a time; wherein at least one of the modular housing sections includes first and second landing pads, wherein the first landing pad and the second landing pad are connected such that the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated together, wherein the first landing pad and the second landing pad are connected side by side in a first direction, and wherein the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; and wherein, when the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated in the second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the first landing pad is actuated out of a first side of the modular housing structure; and when the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and is opposite to the second direction, the second landing pad is actuated out of a second side of the modular housing structure that is opposite to the first side of the modular housing structure. a landing pad sized to land a given UAV of the UAVs, the landing pad mechanically actuated to extend from an interior of a given modular housing section to receive and deploy the given UAV and withdraw into the interior, and charging electronics disposed in or on the landing pad and configured to charge the given UAV, wherein the modular housing structure supports a scalable number of the UAVs based on a number of the modular housing sections vertically stacked on each other at a time; wherein at least one of the modular housing sections includes first and second landing pads, wherein the first landing pad and the second landing pad are connected such that the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated together, wherein the first landing pad and the second landing pad are connected side by side in a first direction, and wherein the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; and wherein, when the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated in the second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the first landing pad is actuated out of a first side of the modular housing structure; and when the first landing pad and the second landing pad are mechanically actuated in a third direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and is opposite to the second direction, the second landing pad is actuated out of a second side of the modular housing structure that is opposite to the first side of the modular housing structure.