The Wanton Destruction of the Technology of Drone Warfare Attacks

Well in the modern English language a drone is essentially a UAV defined as:

• An unmanned aerial vehicle (an aircraft piloted by remote control or onboard computers).

When we think of drones we need to understand how a drone operates in combat and what the future holds for the development of warfare as whole and future attacks on a covert or overt enemy. Moderns drones such as the USAF Predator or the UK Reaper are UAVs that operate from a controlling base many miles (or even countries away) from the point of conflict. The drone is essentially a remote controlled killing device, although they can also be used for surveillance and intelligence gathering exercise. Modern drones however are equipped with military weapons enabling these weapons to kill enemies on the ground.

To understand the future of drone warfare we need to extend our imaginations forward along an acceptable technological path, as the tech gains both funding and essential R&D commitment. At present Reapers and Predators are operating over major points-of-conflict throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and perhaps even recent areas of conflict such as Syria and other war hotspots. One of the major benefits of drone warfare is that the vehicles are able to operate for extended flight-times way beyond human endurance. In addition as the vehicles have no physical crew present the potential loss of combat troops is removed.

It is feasible to consider that modern drone warfare will rely on a greater synergy between the machine or drone and the human operator. This is not to say that drones will evolve into Cyborgs offering a direct connection (biological) between human and machine, although this scenario is possible and has already been greatly explored in contemporary as well as historical science-fiction.

Hear I think of the relationship between man and machine as defined by Warhammer 40k. The Dreadnoughts are essential large robots, but contained within each machine is a human encased in fluids and directly linked to the machine through a spinal cord umbilical.

How the human is removed from the act of killing with Drones

However what marks this cyborg connection is the human-robot proximity, the machine is still essentially human in part and not fully individual. Drones however are mindless, in that as an entirety they exist without direct human link.

It is possible for an operator to control and operate a drone (many miles away) and then once off-duty to crank up a Playstation 4 game that offers the same interaction. In this essence drones operate as a “non-human” tool of modern warfare. The human is removed from the actual process of killing, and is instead presented with a pixelated/digital version of modern warfare accessed through a computer screen – death becomes a pixel game.

It is this “non-humanity” zeitgeist that concerns social groups and legal institutions as we remove the human accountability of warfare.

The evolution of drones and drone warfare will undoubtedly see drones that are capable of self-repair. This offers an interesting scenario as a machine that can essentially repair itself whilst in combat would prove ultimately indestructible. In the future we will see infantry drones that operate (through remote control) on the modern day battlefield capable of attacks that usually infantry platoons would be capable of.

Future Drone technology and Funding

Future technology is receiving the necessary funds to develop such weapons, and as we have seen the benefits of such a move far outweigh the negatives associated with modern 21^st century drone warfare. As nano-technology increases we also have to face the fact that drones can operate in a hive with concentrated and focused AI. The ability for a nation to dominate both drone warfare and nano-technology will help shape the future powerhouses of the 21^st and perhaps the 22^nd century nations.

Drone Infantry?

With the application of human based drones that act as infantry we could see the movement of drones away from operating purely in an aerial position, and instead operating at a ground based level. This is not to say that a drone will become a robotic self-contained unit, although this is looking likely as well. However the human interface or “operator” will still be required when we see infantry based drone units in combat. With the changes to AI though we could expect to see drones with augmentation This augmented technology would both extend the drones function ability beyond the traditional limitations of humans, creating an even deadlier application of drone technology.

As AI increases we will undoubtedly see drone units operating in oceans and seas, unmanned naval weapons and units will focus primarily on covertly operating from oceanic positions as global warfare pushes technology and conflicts throughout the globe. The implementation of unmanned naval units will see drones acting in extreme weathers and at previously inhospitable temperatures. This increase on drone activity will once again only remain of benefit to the advancing nations as they extend their military reach across earth and perhaps even space too.

Drones in Space - a reality

As we began to explore space (see the manned mission to mars scheduled for 2035) we have to also look beyond our own planet as the primary source of drone deployment. Instead we could see galaxy based units operating for the protection and dominance of galactic areas of conflict. One point though, that needs to be examined, is that the full exploration of space requires total commitment, it therefore maybe that all of humanity’s efforts to conquer the Galaxy and the universe, will lead to a collective identity unifying space travel and exploration rather than focusing on earth bound military and political divisions. This of course remains to be seen.

Passing over the ethical issues and civilian casualties of drone attacks we need to look at how technology will ultimately drive the applications of drones in modern warfare. If we look at the USAF Predators and the UK Reapers as an initial foray into drone use, we can extrapolate that the benefits of deploying drones in war situations, as well as the focus on future technology as a foreign policy dominator, it is fair to say that drone use will evolve into differing systems and arenas of conflict.

Drones - war by remote control

The ability to rage war by remote control is appealing from both a technological point-of-view as well as reducing attrition to an invading force. It may sound like science fiction but we could well see Drones operating on a national security level as well, perhaps supporting front-line enforcement such as the Police or Emergency Services. This is perhaps drawing a link to modern filmic satires such as Robocop (who incidentally was a cyborg and therefore not a drone) but with the advances being made with drone application, such as Amazon’s drone delivery service, it is possible that this leap is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Whatever we can expect drone warfare is changing and will change in the future – technological progress and the application of new and existing technologies combined with the growing threat of terrorism will ensure this is the case.