UAV that disengages human hands: It chooses and kills its own target!

The new-generation unmanned aerial vehicle “Red Dragon”, introduced by the American defense company AeroVironment, has sparked ethical debates with its autonomous attack capabilities. The U.S. military is approaching a deadly threshold with this technology, which can select and destroy its target without the need for human intervention. The American defense industry has entered a new phase in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles that can launch suicide attacks without human control. The new UAV named Red Dragon, announced by AeroVironment, has a range of approximately 400 km and a speed of 100 mph. This drone, which can be deployed in just 10 minutes, can be launched up to five times per minute by a single soldier. IT SELECTS AND DESTROYS ITS OWN TARGET With its artificial intelligence-supported SPOTR-Edge detection system, Red Dragon can scan its surroundings and independently identify targets. The system, which can hit many different targets from tanks to buildings, was designed to be deployed from anywhere, especially by small units. Red Dragon’s ability to select a target with “limited human intervention” contradicts the policies of the US Department of Defense. While Pentagon officials emphasize that final death decisions must be made by a human, AeroVironment describes this drone as “a revolution in autonomous lethality.” In a statement he made in 2024, Craig Martell, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer at the Department of Defense, said, “The responsibility for these technologies must absolutely lie with humans.” With the new directives, restrictions were imposed on autonomous systems that required human control. Red Dragon’s simple, fast, and target-oriented structure includes less technological complexity than classic missile systems. Unlike advanced missile systems such as Hellfire, tactics on the battlefield can change radically with the use of Red Dragon in swarms.