By Gerald L Nino a [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Μany people do not know what drones are, and don’t worry I didn’t know it either. However, I found out that it is very interesting as I went trhough the informations on the internet. Basically, drones or also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), are aircraft either controlled by ‘pilots’ from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission (Drone Wars UK, 2010).  Drones as are made in different shapes and sizes have more usages than just a one. The usages are wide range of potential civilian, scientific usage, as well as law enforcement and industrial monitoring. Moreover, they are very often used for military purposes which I am going to talk about in this post. Drones differ from its look, some can be catched by a hand, if they are light enough, some look like a normal air fighter without a place for the pilot.

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There are two types of drones used by the military, one is medium-sized drones named the MQ-1B Predator and the second one is MQ-9 Reaper. As they are used for military purpouses they are equiped with a wealth of sensors in their bulbous noses: colour and black-and-white TV cameras, image intensifiers, radar, infra-red imaging for low-light conditions and lasers for targeting. They can also be armed with laser-guided missiles (BBC, 2012). Each multi-million dollar Predator or Reaper system comprises four aircraft, a ground control station and a satellite link (ibid). Some drones are unmanned as I have mentioned, however, on the base there are trained people, who analyses the image which the cameras send back and so the pilots are able to fly the drones according to the image.

Source: MOD a

As RFE/RL claims, the United States and Israel are the two most important manufacturers of military drones and the United States is both the largest producer and the most frequent user of the aircraft. The U.S.-made Predator (which costs $4.5 million-$11 million per unit) or the larger, more expensive and more advanced Reaper ($30 million per unit) are the best-known UAVs. The American military now extended its drones to 7,000, which is more than the US ever had in 50-10 years ago. This prooves the efficiency of using drones for military purpouses. The first country which developed military drones is Israel, who did it due to its large losses in air force after the Arab-Israeli war, in 1973.  Israel as the founder of drones is top drone exporter, developing one of the largest and most advanced models in the world, the Heron TP Eitan, which costs an estimated $35 million and can reach an altitude of 12, 000 meters. It can also stay in the air for more than 20 hours, this is very efficient for Israel in its missions in Iran. Turkey is using the Israeli made drones for the operations in Iraq, despite a recent diplomatic disagreements with Israel. This is very important because as we can se Israeli made drones are the best ones, so countries should make sure they are not in conflict with Israel.

What are the legislative problems and incidents with drones?

The countries which mosty use armed drones are the US, Israel and alsko the UK for targeted killing. However, legal scholars claim that they have no right to do target killing because the people, who are meant to die, are not under these countries care and should not be a victim of deliberate, premeditated killing that is why they think its illegal. Where International Humanitarian Law (IHL) applies targeted killing of combatants may be legal. Outside of IHL situations, International Human Rights Law applies and lethal force may only be used when absolutely necessary to save human life that is in imminent danger.  This does not appear to be the case for many of the US drone strikes that have been carried out in Pakistan and Yemen (What’s wrong with drones, 2014). The United States insists it has lawful authority for such strikes under the Authorization for Use of Military Force Act (AUMF) passed in the days after 9/11, as well as in the inherent right of self-defence under the UN Charter (ibid). Many legal experts and scholars, not least the former and current UN special rapporteurs on extra-judicial killings, strongly question the US position.

The targeted killing in Syria of British citizen Reyaad Khan by an RAF drone (followed three days later by the killing of Junaid Hussain by US forces in co-operation with the UK) has caused huge controversy amongst human rights groups and legal scholars. Prime Minster David Cameron told the House of Commons that the killing of the two men was legal as “it was necessary and proportionate for the individual self-defence of the UK” (Syria, 2015). However, it was also suggested that the men were put on a target list earlier in the summer meaning that the killing in August was likely not in response to any imminent threat. Legal experts emphasise that to be lawful under the self-defence framework such action must be “instant, overwhelming, and leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation” (The Caroline Case).  While in the House of Commons David Cameron told MPs that the strike “was not part of coalition military action against ISIL in Syria”, in a formal letter to the United Nations reporting the strike, the UK stated that its military actions in Syria was also “in the collective self-defence of Iraq,” an entirely new and different legal argument.

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The Economist declared in 2011, that ‘the future belongs to drones’ while Reuters argued that armed drones are ‘the perfect weapon for a war-weary nation on a tight budget.’ In my opinion as we have seen there are huge problems surrounding the growing use of armed unmanned systems. The use of armed drones is already undermining the laws of war and eroding human rights protections put in place to safeguard both combatants and civilians alike. The growing use of armed drones and the concept of remote, risk free war is a serious military escalation.  In short, armed drones are simply making the world a more dangerous place.

Sources :

Cole, Chris and Wright, Jim. „What Are Drones.“ Drone Wars UK. N.p., Jan. 2010. Web. zde

„Drones: What Are They and How Do They Work.“ BBC. N.p., 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Jan. 2016. zde

„Drones – Who Makes Them And Who Has Them.“ RFE/RL, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Jan. 2016. zde

Cole, Chris. „What’s Wrong with Drones.“ Drone Wars UK. N.p., 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Jan. 2016. zde

Bowcott, Owen. „Syria Drone Strike Sets Low Threshold for Killing People, Says UN Official.“ The Guardian. N.p., 09 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 Jan. 2016. zde

„Syria: Refugees and Counter-terrorism – Prime Minister’s Statement.“GOV.UK. N.p., 07 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 Jan. 2016.  zde

„Avalon Project – The Caroline Case.“ Avalon Project- The Caroline Case. Ed. Hunter Miller. Yale, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2016. zde