TECHNOLOGY The future of conflict
PRINT YOUR OWN DRONE
The new era of conflict and security will continue to evolve rapidly in 2018, as we see progress on emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing, autonomous weapons, swarming, and artificial intelligence. Mauro Lubrano explains.
SWARMING DRONES refer to collaborative systems made up of small, unmanned aircraft. They are cheap and capable of reducing human casualties. Swarm drones have not been used in warfare yet, but are being developed and tested by the US and the Chinese. Combined with artificial intelligence, they would be able to perform complex operations, adapting to sudden changes, and dividing tasks within the swarm.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and autonomous weapon systems often give rise to ethical debate. Despite limited current capabilities, autonomy is already a reality, used for targeting and intelligencegathering. It ' s often mistakenly believed that autonomous weapons systems will replace humans completely- but they will most likely continue to be complementary.
Some versions of TACTICAL MINIATURIZED DRONES are specifically designed to operate individually. The Switchblade drone is a small, disposable backpack drone that can be deployed by infantry for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, but also for precision strikes. In an asymmetric conflict scenario, they could theoretically replace airstrikes and cut down the related costs.
3-D PRINTING is a technological system capable of printing objects from scratch. It ' s rapidly becoming accessible and affordable. From a security standpoint, it could not only allow anyone to manufacture small arms, but could also affect missile non-proliferation regimes, as it could prove useful in building vital components of missiles. Additionally, 3-D printing could easily be applied to produce drones. There are obvious implications in terms of terrorist threats.
The history of warfare is a history of technological innovation. The war chariots from the Eurasian steppes mowed down the bronze-armored infantry of Mesopotamia and Egypt in 1800 BC, just as easily as the German motorized divisions cut down the defenses of Continental Europe during the Blietzkrieg. The last century witnessed the rise of nuclear weapons and their ICBM delivery system, which has triggered the era of deterrence. Yet, technologies are advancing at an exponential pace and major breakthroughs are being achieved in fields that will have a great impact on military doctrines. As warfare and international security enter a new stage, keeping an eye on the development of emerging technologies will be instrumental in grasping the nature of future conflict.
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