Drones

While many people are aware of Predator drones used for counterinsurgency operations, unmanned systems of a wide variety have relevance in a wide range of applications—including great-power competition. Unmanned aerial systems have been used in the war in Ukraine for artillery spotting with devastating effect, and swarms of drone planes and ships have been demonstrated by Chinese state firms.

Content

NATOSource

Jan 25, 2013

Germany Plans to Deploy Armed Drones

By Veit Medick, Spiegel

From Veit Medick, Spiegel:  Bowing to pressure from the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, the federal government in Berlin is preparing to deploy armed, unmanned drones in foreign conflicts.

Drones Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Jan 18, 2013

Are Drones Really Working?

By Danya Greenfield

President Obama’s nomination of John Brennan, who currently serves as the White House Senior Advisor for Counterterrorism, should occasion a debate regarding how the United States can best confront, respond to, or mitigate our most pressing security challenges, including the current counterterrorism strategy. In particular, John Brennan’s nomination as CIA director should spur re-evaluation of […]

Drones National Security

NATOSource

Jan 11, 2013

Video: First test flight of Germany’s EuroHawk, Europe’s largest drone

By Northrup Grumman)

From Northrup Grumman):  Northrop Grumman Corporation and EADS Deutschland GmbH, operating through Cassidian, together achieved a major milestone today with the first full system test flight of the EURO HAWK® unmanned aircraft system (UAS)

Drones Technology & Innovation

NATOSource

Jan 4, 2013

General Dynamics Canada awarded contract for NATO UAV program

By General Dynamics Canada

From General Dynamics Canada:  General Dynamics Canada has been awarded a CA$32 million contract by Northrop Grumman Corporation for key communications network technology for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program. Under this contract, General Dynamics Canada will provide the software that will control the AGS Communications Ground Control System (CGCS). The CGCS will manage […]

Drones Technology & Innovation

NATOSource

Dec 17, 2012

Britain’s drone air force decimated by pilot error

By Robert Verkaik, Daily Mail

From Robert Verkaik, Daily Mail:  Nearly half of Britain’s top-secret military drones deployed in Afghanistan have crashed – many because of pilot error.

Drones Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2012

Drone Strike on Democracy

By James Joyner

As a theoretical matter, remotely piloted vehicles are simply a tool of warfare, morally indistinguishable from manned aircraft. The more efficiently the United States can target and kill its enemies, the better. And drones are cheaper to operate, carry far less risk for American military personnel, and make it easier to collect operational intelligence than their manned […]

Drones National Security

NATOSource

Nov 2, 2012

Panetta: US ‘certainly had forces in place’ that could have reached Americans under attack in Benghazi

By Leon Panetta, Department of Defense

From Leon Panetta, Department of Defense:  Excerpt from a Pentagon press conference by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey.

Drones Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

Oct 30, 2012

What the US Risks by Relying on Drones

By Kurt Volker

 As documented in the recent Post series “The Permanent War,” the United States increasingly relies on drone strikes as a principal and permanent component in fighting global terrorism. This is effective at killing terrorist leadership and is relatively painless politically at home, as it does not require massive military engagements or put U.S. soldiers or […]

Drones National Security

NATOSource

Oct 29, 2012

What the U.S. risks by relying on drones

By Kurt Volker, Washington Post

From Kurt Volker, Washington Post:  [A]s necessary as some drone strikes have been — and will be in the future — over-reliance on drones raises problems.

Drones Technology & Innovation

NATOSource

Oct 26, 2012

Poland joins NATO’s AGS drone system

By Poland's Ministry of Defense

From Poland’s Ministry of Defense:  Minister of National Defence Tomasz Siemoniak declared Poland’s participation in AGS – NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance system at NATO ministerial in Brussels in October.

Drones Technology & Innovation
Load More

Experts

Fellow

Thomas X. Hammes

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Conflict Defense Industry

Fellow

Dominika Kunertova

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Artificial Intelligence Central Europe