Nuclear Bombs on Drones: The Next Arms Race That Has Experts 'Very Concerned'
upstart writes:
While drones flying over different parts of Europe have raised concerns in many countries, some are worried about a more dystopian future with the technology.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine could lead to a new arms race - one not defined by big submarines or loud missiles, but by small, silent drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the prospect during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where he warned that it is cheaper to stop Russia now "than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead"."
We must use everything we have, together, to force the aggressor to stop. And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race won't end in catastrophe for all of us," he said."Otherwise, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will keep driving the war forward - wider and deeper."
Experts warn drones carrying nuclear weapons might already exist.
TASS, the Russian state-owned news agency, reported in 2023 on the manufacture of a nuclear-armed underwater drone called Poseidon.
Previously, in 2018, the United States defence ministry also publicly acknowledged Russia was developing a "new intercontinental, nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered, undersea autonomous torpedo" or underwater drone.
Mick Ryan, a retired Australian Army major general and senior fellow for military studies at the Lowy Institute, said drones with nuclear warheads "may already be a reality".
"It's something that we should be concerned about," Ryan, who is also a strategic adviser at a US drone company, Skydio, told SBS News.
"Particularly since detecting a drone underwater that's capable of very long ranges would be a significant threat to Western countries, including Australia," Ryan said.
[...] Nuclear warheads are not the only possible future predicted for drones, as politicians are warning about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to control drones.
During his speech at the UN, Zelenskyy said "it's only a matter of time" before drones operate "all by themselves, fully autonomous, and no human involved, except the few who control AI systems".
Earlier in September, The Wall Street Journal reported that AI-powered drones were introduced on the battlefield, with Ukraine utilising technology that allows groups of drones to make decisions independently.
Ryan said the use of AI might actually help reduce civilian casualties in future warfare.
"AI might actually make them more deadly for the military and less deadly for civilians. Now, that's a perfect scenario, of course, and it's theoretical," he said.
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