The US military may soon have an army of faceless suicide bombers at their disposal, as an American defense contractor has revealed their newest war-fighting drone.
AeroVironment unveiled the Red Dragon in a video on their YouTube page, the first in a new line of ‘one-way attack drones.’
This new suicide drone can reach speeds up to 100 mph and can travel nearly 250 miles. The new drone takes just 10 minutes to set up and launch and weighs just 45 pounds.
Once the small tripod the Red Dragon takes off from is set up, AeroVironment said soldiers would be able to launch up to five per minute.
After the weapon selects its target, AeroVironment video revealed that the Red Dragon goes into dive-bomb, slamming into the target like a missile.
Although the damage of the drone’s explosive payload will likely vary based on what it hits, AeroVironment showed Red Dragon striking everything from tanks and military vehicles to enemy encampments and small buildings.
Red Dragon arrives as military officials have openly said the country is in a fight to maintain ‘air superiority’ as drones have changed the entire landscape of the battlefield – flying remote-controlled bombs into targets all over the world.
However, the new one-way attack drone is raising some moral issues. Since the suicide robot can choose its own target in the air, the US military may soon be taking life-and-death decisions out of the hands of humans.
An AI-powered ‘one-way attack drone’ may soon give the US military a weapon that can think and pick out targets by itself
US defense contractor AeroVironment said in a video that their new ‘suicide drone’ is ready for mass production
AeroVironment said that this autonomous and intelligent weapon is ready for mass production.
Simply put, the US military will soon have swarms of bombs with brains that don’t land until they’ve chosen a target and crash into it.
The AI-powered drone also carries up to 22 pounds of explosives and can strike targets on land, in the air, and at sea.
Unlike other US military drones, which can carry their own missiles, Red Dragon is the missiles, with its manufacturers saying it’s been built ‘for scale, speed, and operational relevance.’
The lightweight drone was designed for quick deployment and flexibility on the battlefield, allowing smaller military units to deploy Red Dragon from almost anywhere.
Once airborne, its AVACORE software architecture functions as the drone’s brain, managing all its systems and enabling quick customization.
Red Dragon’s SPOTR-Edge perception system acts like smart eyes, using AI to find and identify targets independently.
Despite Red Dragon’s ability to choose a target with ‘limited operator involvement,’ the Department of Defense (DoD) has said it’s against the military’s policy to allow such a thing to happen.
In 2024, Craig Martell, the DoD’s Chief Digital and AI Officer, said: ‘There will always be a responsible party who understands the boundaries of the technology, who when deploying the technology takes responsibility for deploying that technology.’
Additionally, the DoD updated its own directives to mandate that ‘autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems’ always have the built-in ability to allow humans to control the device.
Red Dragon’s makers said the drone is ‘a significant step forward in autonomous lethality’ as it can make its own targeting decisions before striking an enemy
Soldiers would be able to launch swarms of the Red Dragon thanks to its easy setup that allows users to launch up to 5 per minute
Red Dragon’s SPOTR-Edge perception system acts like smart eyes, using AI to find and identify targets independently
Red Dragon can carry is similar to the Hellfire missiles carried and launched by larger US drones.
These drones typically strike the same kind of targets as Red Dragon, but since it requires precise targeting and guidance for the missiles to hit their target, the simplicity of the suicide attack by a swarm of Red Dragons removes many high-tech complications.
The US Marine Corps have become heavily involved in the evolution of drone warfare in recent years.
Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson said in April that, because of the widespread use of drones by America’s allies and enemies, ‘we may never fight again with air superiority in the way we have traditionally come to appreciate it.’
While the US is keeping a tight leash on AI-powered weapons, other nations and militant groups have allegedly ignored the ethical issues in recent years, including terror groups like ISIS and the Houthi rebels.
In 2020, the Centre for International Governance Innovation noted that both Russia and China were pursuing AI-driven military hardware with fewer ethical restrictions than the US.
As for Red Dragon, AeroVironment said that the suicide drone uses a ‘new generation of autonomous systems’ which allow it to make its own decisions once the operator launches it.
The drone’s ability to rely on its own advanced computer systems without remote control guidance means Red Dragon is able to fly in areas where GPS and other communications don’t work.
However, the drone still comes equipped with an advanced radio system, ensuring US soldiers can stay in contact with the weapon once it’s airborne.
On their website, AeroVironment called Red Dragon ‘a significant step forward in autonomous lethality.’
