| Summary/Abstract |
Unmanned aircraft technologies have now matured. The world is at a transition. Dual use (optionally manned) aircraft are flying. Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) are being intensively used in combat with more and more drones being armed with air-to-surface weapons. Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) are taking-off and landing by themselves including on the moving aircraft carrier. Autonomous air refuelling has been tested. Unmanned stealth bombers are under development. Uninhabited helicopter convoys can be used for delivering supplies to troops deployed on combat front lines. Coordinated UAS swarms are already a reality and could also act as a multi strike decoy or jam the enemy defences through sheer numbers. UAS strikes will be a must to lead into territories with integrated air defences. UAS are now mostly being assigned the ‘Dull’, ‘Dirty’ and ‘Dangerous’ missions. UAS are also being used for missions like electronic attack or other non-lethal effects. By the year 2050 every conceivable mission, including heavy lift, would be unmanned. There are ethical and legal issues and also need for regulation. With no pilot inside, there is a risk of lowering the bar to using force. Also there is the risk of terrorists and non-state actors acquiring such assets. A casual hobbyist could by mistake fly a drone into an airliner. All these issues are being considered by regulators. Counter drone technologies are also evolving. India has to accelerate the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based weapon systems and platforms to stem excessive technological gap.
|