The United States will soon have a drone that will be able to choose its own target, causing massive damage upon hitting it. An American defence contractor revealed the faceless suicide bomber in a video. Named Red Dragon, the drone has been developed by AeroVironment. They are "one-way attack drones" that will help the US maintain "air superiority".

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Drones have overtaken the defence landscape of the world. AeroVironment said that the new suicide drone can reach speeds up to 100 mph. They are capable of travelling nearly 400 kilometres. 

The drone weighs only 20 kg and takes only 10 minutes to set up and launch. The Red Dragon are placed on a small tripod, and once the process of set up is complete, soldiers will be able to launch up to five of them every minute. AI powers the drone and can carry up to 22 pounds of explosives.

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Red Dragon drone is like a missile

The new drone selects its target and then dive-bombs, emulating a missile. The damage Red Dragon would cause will depend on the target itself, as shown in the video shared by AeroVironment, where Red Dragon struck tanks, military vehicles, camps and small buildings.

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Unlike other US military drones, which carry their missiles, Red Dragon has been designed to act like a missile with its speed and operation. The company has said that it is ready for mass production of the bomb with brains. 

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But having a drone that picks its own target has also triggered an ethical conundrum, as human intervention is minimal, and none at all when choosing what to kill and what to spare. Having a machine make such decisions has spun an entirely different matter.

Technology that powers the Red Dragon drone

The AVACORE software architecture manages the drone's systems. It acts as its brain, telling it what to do. Red Dragon's SPOTR-Edge perception system is what helps it find the target using AI. 

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Responding to the question of minimum human intervention, the Department of Defense (DoD) has said the military's policy doesn't allow this to happen, and that someone "who understands the boundaries of the technology" would always be responsible for deploying it. It also mandates "autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems" to have the option for humans to control the device.

HAROP drone used in India-Pak War

India and Pakistan are also in a state of war, with drones playing a major role. India is said to have used the HAROP drones, made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), in Operation Sindoor. It is a formidable loitering munition, equipped to hunt high-value targets. A loitering munition precisely locates the target and hovers over it before striking it.