UCAVs or drones provide several strategic and ethical advantages over manned aircraft. Strategically, drones have a wide range of sensors, can carry diverse payloads, provide long-term command and control, allow operators to remain far from danger, and can incorporate stealth designs. They also have lower costs due to reduced training needs, not requiring permanent infrastructure, and less need for negotiations. Ethically, drones avoid risks to human pilots and can be programmed to apply ethics of war more consistently, which some studies suggest could increase ethical behavior compared to human soldiers in combat situations.

1. The Case For

2. Strategic advantages
owide range of sensors (increased accuracy of hitting
targets),
o diverse weapon loads,
ocommand and control capabilities,
olong flight duration
ooperators can control UCAVs thousands of miles away
from in the battlefield, thus reducing the dangers and
stress. operators can rotate throughout operation, thus
reducing fatigue
o designs can allow stealth protection (eg structures which
can allow flight manoeuvres/acceleration normally too
dangerous for pilots) --> less detection = higher survival
rate in enemy airspace, therefore making drones good
forcounter counter-insurgency/anti-terrorism missions/
collection of intel.

3. Strategic advantages
• lower cost:
• operator training
• less need for permanent structures (eg
airfields) as drones can be launched
anywhere
• also less need to negotiate foreign
support

4. Ethical advantages
• “When a robot dies you don’t have to write a letter to its family” (P. W
Singer)
• Easier to apply ethics/ morals of war (E.g. Just War Theory)
• A study conducted in 2006 indicated that:
•Only 47% of (US) Soldiers and 38% of (US) Marines agreed that noncombatants
should be treated with dignity and respect.
•Well over a third of (US) Soldiers and (US)Marines reported torture should be
allowed, whether to save the life of a fellow Soldier or (US) Marine or to obtain
important information about insurgents.
•45% of (US) Soldiers and 60% of (US) Marines did not agree that they would
report a fellow soldier/marine if he had injured or killed an innocent noncombatant.
• The use of drones would lead to an increase in ethical behaviour on the
battlefield rather than a decrease (Dr Ron Arkin)

5. Ethical advantages
•In a recent report to the US Army Research
Laboratory, Dr Arkin stated that robots:
1. Do not need to protect themselves and can be used in
a self-sacrificing manner if appropriate;
2. Can be designed without emotions that cloud their
judgment or result in anger and frustration with ongoing
battlefield events;
3. Need not be affected by the human psychological
problem of ‘scenario fulfillment’