Killer Drones: Disruption Today, Destruction Tomorrow… The Future Is Now…
Speaker(s): Edwards, B. (President, Calibre Engineering)
Date: 7 April 2022
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with COL(R) Bill Edwards (Calibre Engineering) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series.
Commercial drones—which are permitted by governments for civilian use in many countries—are currently being used for military purposes in Ukraine. However, commercial drones have also been used by militaries and violent extremist organizations—including ISIL—in the past. The commercial and private use of drones is currently available in 95 countries, and there are 35 million commercial drones in use globally. COL Edwards commented that the commercial drone market is likely to grow in the future. These commercial drones have developed remarkable capabilities, including motion sensors, automatic maneuvering, and the ability to deliver payloads up to 6 kilograms. Ukraine is the latest testing ground for commercial drones’ applications in an active warzone, and Ukrainian forces have effectively coordinated with civilians, military personnel, and private sector companies who own drones to locate Russia’s military personnel and carry out attacks so far.
It is not only in Ukraine that drones have been effectively used in carrying out attacks or package delivery, however. Drones have been used to deliver contraband to prison, take pictures and videos, deliver commercial packages, and even shoot a flamethrower and pistols. COL Edwards highlighted additional negative implications of the growing prevalence of commercial drones, which include endangering public spaces, such as sports stadiums; the illicit transportation of contraband; cyber-attacks; and illegal entry to airports. The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Harpy weapons system, which is created to act autonomously and decide whether to attack targets, is creating a discussion relating to the ethical use of drones and artificial intelligence in warfare. COL Edwards concluded by stating that while drones’ increasing prevalence is creating new security risks, drones also can be used to create new security capabilities. Ultimately, drones are and will continue to influence the current reality of warfare and its future.
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