Background on Aerial Weapons
Since the beginnings of warfare and international conflict, weaponry has exponentially been advancing to the machines of mass destruction we have in the modern era. Whether it’s tanks, missiles, or guns, these mediums for violence have evolved into something more dangerous and destructive than ever before. But what about drones? No, not the flying cameras used to film vlogs; rather, the unmanned aircrafts sent over borders to strike specific locations and carry out missions that would have been otherwise impossible. These drones are especially dangerous, because they often “miss” their target and instead hit civilians, causing mass casualties of innocent people.
The Arms Race for Unmanned Combat Vehicles
Recently, China has been developing and testing the use of new types of combat drones. Unmanned drones like these are used in a couple ways. The first is by dropping missiles or other explosives directly from the drone, and sending these into the target. The other method is a bit more brutal: flying the drone itself directly into the target. As China becomes more armed, other countries who have been known to use weaponized drones (United States, Israel, Iran, Italy, India, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Poland) compete to keep up with the technology, and the quantity of production.
Where Have We Seen This?
From the very first day that a drone strike was used in America, the United States alone has sent at least 14,000 drone strikes to countries in the Middle East. A recognizable strike sent by the states occurred at the beginning of 2020, when Donald Trump ordered a drone strike to Iraq in order to kill Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. It should also be noted that the number of air strikes authorized during Trump’s presidency has increased by over 300 percent since that of the Obama presidency. That was in the first year of Trump’s presidency alone.
What is China Doing Differently?
China has recently been experimenting with new types of drone systems. For example, a system they have recently developed included a whole swarm of drones that worked as a hive. It is obvious how this is a tactical step up from a solo drone. Another dangerous part of this is the lack of knowledge that other countries have about this, and also the competition that this drives. With China stepping ahead in drone warfare, other countries are eager to advance their technology and create even more harmful and dangerous weapons.
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