Proliferation of armed drones analyzed in new report ‘Drone Wars: The Next Generation’

EFAD member Drone Wars UK has published a report detailing the proliferation of armed drone usage to both states and non-state actors. The use of armed drones has skyrocketed in the past five years, from only three users in 2013 to twelve in 2018. On top of that, the number of states in the process of either developing or acquiring armed drones has risen dramatically too.

As China, Iran, and Turkey joined the group of armed drone-operators and developers, previously confined to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom, pressures to compete on drone exports have risen as well. This contributed to lower standards and regulations concerning the export of armed drones particularly in the United States, which in turn is likely to boost proliferation even further.

The increase in usage is problematic considering the legal and ethical issues surrounding the use of armed drones. Drone Wars UK therefor calls upon all states to address the concerns regarding the use and proliferation of armed drones through multilateral processes – a call also reflected in our Call to Action.

You can read the full report at Drone Wars UK as well as in our resource section.