The rapid advancement of digital technologies has significantly impacted the field of humanitarian logistics and disaster management, prompting a paradigm shift in addressing emergencies. In this paper, a literature review is conducted, drawing on grey literature, reports, case studies, operational updates and European research projects. The review delves into the transformative impact of unmanned aerial vehicles and other digital innovations on disaster response strategies. Through an analysis of real-life implementations, the study underscores the essential role of technology in enhancing situational awareness, facilitating rapid responses, and ensuring robust communication during crises in practice. By examining the deployment of drones, machine learning, the Internet of Things, and other digital technologies, this review expands the humanitarian logistics’ community comprehension of the dynamic humanitarian aid and disaster relief landscape. This research reveals that these technologies offer unmatched capabilities in monitoring, assessment, and aid delivery, reshaping traditional disaster management mechanisms. Nonetheless, despite noteworthy progress, the review uncovers a persistent gap in the creation of a holistic system covering the entire disaster management cycle, mirroring concerns highlighted in academic literature. This gap underscores the critical need for integrated solutions that address mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, i.e., the four disaster management stages, comprehensively. In essence, this research distinguishes itself by juxtaposing real-life project outcomes with scholarly insights and validates the identified gap in holistic solutions, underlining the necessity for developing a future-oriented unified framework that leverages digital technologies to meet the complex demands of disaster management, closely aligned with humanitarian objectives.