The use of drones in international warfare over the years

While earlier drones were limited, today they are more advanced, with enhanced precision, longer flight times, and the ability to operate in more complex environments. These drones have also become more autonomous, with artificial intelligence playing a significant role in targeting and decision-making, reducing the need for constant human control.

Earlier this week, Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah launched a drone attack on an Israeli arms factory while last week China vowed to continue supplying drones to Russia for its ongoing campaign in Ukraine.

Drone warfare for military purposes began in earnest during the early 2000s. However, its roots can be traced back to World War I when primitive remote-controlled planes were developed. In 1942, the US military developed the TDN-1, an early assault drone and the first to take off from an aircraft carrier, though it never saw combat. In 1944, Operation Aphrodite repurposed Boeing B-17s and B-24 Liberators for remote-controlled missions, marking the first use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with cameras for first-person-view flights. Despite 14 missions, the operation was deemed a failure, as these drones functioned like torpedoes filled with explosives, requiring pilots to eject before impact. One mission tragically resulted in the death of Joseph P Kennedy, former American president John F Kennedy’s elder brother.

In the decades that followed, research and development of UAV technology accelerated rapidly. Militaries worldwide began partnering with private manufacturers, conducting extensive testing, and investing billions into drone advancements. This period saw the introduction of innovations like surveillance drones, notably used during the Vietnam War. However, the real shift occurred after the 9/11 attacks when the United States began using drones for targeted strikes in Afghanistan.

Impact on military engagement

Drone warfare has fundamentally changed military engagement, allowing nations to conduct operations with fewer troops on the ground. This has been particularly important for counter-terrorism operations where drones are often used for targeted killings of high-value targets in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. During Barack Obama’s presidency, the availability of drones even led to a change in US policy from ‘capture’ to ‘kill’, reporter Dan Klaidman says in his book Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency.

Drones offer the ability to strike anywhere at any time, often with greater precision than traditional airstrikes. This capability has lowered the threshold for military intervention, enabling countries to engage in conflicts without the political and social costs of deploying troops. Moreover, drone operations are typically classified, making it easier for governments to conduct strikes without public scrutiny or the need for formal declarations of war.

Benefits to certain countries and non-state actors

Drones have become a valuable asset for both state and non-state actors. Countries with advanced technology and military infrastructure, like the United States, China, Russia, and Israel, have reaped significant benefits from drone warfare.

Drones are being used extensively in the Ukraine war, having already been pivotal in the conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. They are also emerging as a critical tool in the Myanmar civil war and various conflicts across the Middle East. Advanced militaries, including the Pentagon, are closely observing these conflicts to enhance their own drone strategies. For instance, the US recently unveiled a ‘drone hellscape strategy’ for Taiwan’s defence while China has been conducting simulations of a drone-only assault on the island.

In Ukraine, in particular, drones have significantly altered the playing field with one NATO official reporting that more than two-thirds of the Russian tanks destroyed by Ukraine have been taken out using first-person-view drones. Ukraine has quickly adapted commercial, off-the-shelf drones, often acquired through grassroots crowdfunding or ‘dronations’. These inexpensive drones, costing around USD 1,000 each, are retrofitted with explosives for precise, low-cost strikes. According to a recent report by the Council on Foreign Relations, “while overmatched force-wise, Ukraine has shown how savvy technological adaptation can change twenty-first century warfare and could tip the balance of power in favour of the force that is more innovative”.

However, drones have also become accessible to non-state actors, including terrorist groups and insurgencies. In 2010, 60 states had a military drone programme. Today, at least 113 countries and 65 non-state actors have access to weaponised drone technologies. The proliferation of cheap, off-the-shelf drones has made it easier for smaller, less-resourced groups to participate in modern warfare. This democratisation of drone technology poses a significant challenge to global security as it lowers the entry barrier for engaging in sophisticated attacks.

Perpetuating conflict?

In his book On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (1995), American author Dave Grossman argues that as the physical distance from targets increased so did the psychological distance.

As Stanley McChrystal, former commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said at a Royal United Services Institute conference in 2015, “increased use (drones) in combat and support functions will reduce the risk to military personnel and thereby potentially change the threshold for the use of force. Fewer casualties may lower political risk and any public reticence for a military response…”

In essence, it is argued that public opposition to the loss of military personnel abroad acts as a significant constraint on political leaders when considering military intervention. By removing that political cost through the use of unmanned systems like drones, it becomes far easier for leaders to choose a clean and quick military response over the slower, and often more challenging, political and diplomatic alternatives.

One of the most concerning aspects of the rise of drone warfare is that it risks creating a state of perpetual conflict. With few or no troops on the ground and airstrikes executed remotely by drone operators who return home after their shift, there is minimal public or political pressure to conclude military interventions. Drones allow states to conduct strikes with little regard for international legal norms. As US law professor Rosa Brooks pointed out in a troubling article for Foreign Policy magazine, “there’s no such thing as peacetime” anymore.

The civilian impact is another critical aspect to consider. While drones are praised for their precision, reports indicate that they often result in civilian casualties. A 2020 study by the Costs of War Project at Brown University in the US found that from 2010 to 2020, between 910 and 2,200 civilians were killed in US drone strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. These numbers highlight the ongoing ethical debates surrounding drone usage, particularly regarding accountability and the potential for human rights abuses.