Dispelling Myths About Armed Drones
Armed drones have raised hopes among some for a transformational weapon to use against U.S. adversaries, and raised concerns among others about proliferation and misuse. However, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as they are also known, are fundamentally misunderstood. A series of reports, briefings, and media events seek to dispel the misconceptions.
Three Myths About Armed Drones
In a series for The RAND Blog, researchers examine whether the use of drones will dramatically change global warfare, how U.S. drone policies might shape the way other nations use drones, and how to balance the potential proliferation of drones with future sales to allies.
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Long-range military drones are fundamentally misunderstood. Their champions wrongly contend they are revolutionizing warfare, while critics fear their spread would greatly increase the threat that China, terrorists, and others pose.
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The challenge in establishing international norms for armed drones will be to define rules that preserve the rights of countries to use them in legitimate ways against legitimate threats (senior al Qaeda or Islamic State terrorists) while constraining illegitimate uses (political dissidents).
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More than 70 countries have acquired drones of different classes and for different purposes. However, the number of countries actually developing “armed” drones is far smaller. And smaller still is the number of those countries developing long-range armed systems.
Congressional Briefing: Fact vs. Myth
On February 17, 2015, the Obama administration announced a new policy setting standards for exporting and using armed drones, which will allow for the wider export of armed drones to allied nations.
To dispel some of the myths that have arisen with respect to the use of long-range armed drones, a panel of RAND experts briefed Congress on March 3, 2015. Senior political scientist Lynn Davis gave an overview of the briefing beforehand, which you can watch below.
Watch the Full Briefing
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Publications
Researchers from RAND's National Security Research Division, and Project AIR FORCE have examined the implications of the growing use of unmanned aircraft in military and civilian settings.
Explore More RAND Publications on Drones