Game of Drones: The dangerous rise of military and surveillance warcraft

From drones that can soar through the stratosphere, to rotor drones that hover a few feet above the ground, and underwater drones that glide 50 feet underwater, drones have transformed our lives and modern warfare. Will they eventually destroy us?

There are basically two main types of military drones: those used to destroy and kill by firing munitions, and those used for surveillance. In the Ukraine war, they are often used together.

Russia utilizes Iranian HESA Shahed 136 drones that are relatively cheap and explode on GSP-set targets. On the battlefield, they use more precise Zala Lancet drones. Both sides use cheap hand-held drones with bombs attached. The Ukrainians have been ingeniously making thousands of inexpensive suicide or Kamikaze drones. Comprised of cheap electronic parts, some made on 3D printers, they only have to last long enough to deliver their deadly cargo.  

It has changed the military forever.

Every British and American army platoon will now have a drone operator. The 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning is being trained in using the RQ-28A short-range reconnaissance (SRR) quadcopter drone. “The SRR RQ-28A capability will provide game-changing technology to Army platoons, enhancing both soldier lethality and survivability,” said Carson L. Wakefield of Soldier UAS.

However, the most effective and powerful killer drones are the American MQ-9 Reaper and the Russian Kronshtadt (Sea Eagle) Orion’s. Thousands of lives have been lost to both, in Ukraine and in other wars. The Russian drones are generally not as accurate as their American counterparts, and they have clearly been aimed at civilian infrastructure. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into possible crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2023.

The U.S. Reaper and its predecessor, the MQ-1 Predator, are more accurate but they are also responsible for non-combatant deaths, including women and children. After a strike during the Afghanistan withdrawal on Aug. 29, 2021, killed 10, including seven children, the U.S. government set new guidelines.

Since then, American drone strikes have been unerringly accurate and singularly focused. The strike that killed al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri on a Kabul balcony is a prime example. But enhanced capability seems more ominous for future drone killings, and it raises ethical questions.

Ukrainian, Russian, British and American militaries are increasingly hiring young game-players rather than specialized military pilots to fly drones. They are accustomed to Call of Duty-style video games, which are immersive fiction and trivialize violence against computer-generated avatars. They should be wary.

Close-up images of eviscerated and bloodied real-life human beings is traumatizing. A 2013 Military Report found that “drone operators and support staff have higher chances of suffering from emotional disengagement, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), emotional exhaustion, and burnout” (compared to conventional jet pilots) and “and no clear demarcation between combat and personal/family life.” In his book “Vertical: The City from Satellites to Bunkers,” author Stephen Graham describes the intense training that U.S. drone operators undergo “to dehumanise the ‘enemy’ people below whilst glorifying and celebrating the killing process.”

One could argue that the surveillance drones are just as dangerous to humankind as the killer drones. The most popular drones in Ukraine used by both the Ukrainians and the Russians are the Mavic Pro quadcopter, produced by Chinese manufacturer DJ. It provides high-definition surveillance and costs less than $4,000. China has banned online sales — but not military sales.

Surveillance by drone is increasingly precise and intimate. Drone pilots become familiar with their victims. They see them in the ordinary rhythms of their lives, with their spouses and friends, with their children. Modern drones use GPS and biometrics such as facial recognition programs. They can identify individuals by their gait and their mannerisms. Using AI to collate all of this information, they build databases of people — not just enemies, but entire villages and towns.

In the civilian world, human rights activists have attacked companies like Facebook (now Meta) and TikTok for using facial recognition to identify its users. In 2021, Facebook was fined $650 million for privacy violations. In Western democracies there has been concern, but — as yet — no real action. In the United States, the Facial Recognition Act (2022) has been proposed but not enacted. In China and Russia, there are no such reservations, and this data is used freely to control their citizens. It’s a real-life “Nineteen Eighty-Four” scenario.

The picture is further complicated if drones can be programmed to initiate an attack autonomously, without direct human involvement. A fake report caused great consternation when a military drone was reported as attacking its operator. Yes, autonomous military drones are flying now, but they do not currently have sentient capabilities. However, all militaries are experimenting with drone swarms, using AI robot drones.

China has used Robot Dogs for years but recently released a video of a drone delivering a robot dog with an attached machine gun. The United States is developing hundreds of small insect-type drones, mainly for surveillance, that will be capable of spreading micro-viruses. Truly sentient drones may be at least three years away. There is still time to mandate international regulations on their use.

Let’s not overreact. Drones have incredible value in the civilian world. With or without AI capability, they assist in humanitarian and disaster response, engineering, construction, crop monitoring, weather forecasting, and search and rescue. They are not infallible nor invincible. In warfare, they can be countered with conventional anti-aircraft weapons, nets and electronic jamming. Basic Gepard antiaircraft guns have been effective against Shahed-136 drones in Ukraine. Lasers and defending drones are being developed now. In a recent encounter, a manned Russian Jet used flares to force a Reaper drone to abort its mission.

Drones are just another technological advance, like aeroplanes were in the 20th century. If used productively, they will greatly assist humankind — but only if we can curb our self-destructive ways.

Patrick Drennan is a journalist based in New Zealand, with a degree in American history and economics.