Combat and Technology

With each new technological development there is always the question, where else can this be applied? One simple advancement can quickly reach out and affect many different industries, one such field being combat and warfare. With the constant development and growth of the different combat technologies, it is no surprise when some of those technologies are called into question, more specifically drones. In recent years, drones, better known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have become a point of discussion and debate as they become more and more integrated into combat tactics. But unmanned aerial vehicles are not a new concept and have been researched and developed since the Wright brothers first took flight.

The first unmanned aerial vehicle was created for World War I through a secret project that was supervised by Orville Wright and Charles Kettering. (Stamp) Orville Wright is a name closely tied to the field of aerospace since the first flight with his brother Wilbur Wright in 1903 for 12 seconds. The more important person in this pair though was Charles Kettering, who was an inventor of many important devices that we use today such as the electric starter in automobiles that removed the need for the hand-crank and refrigerant coolants. ("Charles…") Kettering was founder of the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company, and when World War I started, his skills were applied to the war effort and produced the "Kettering Bug".

The "Kettering Bug" was a simple and cheaply made biplane intended to be used as a more directed aerial missile. Though planes were extremely prevalent in World War I, their ballistics were rudimentary and had no ability to aim. This resulted in the general strategy of firing many missiles with the hope that at least one of them would hit the intended target. (Miller) Therefore this new biplane would solve that problem and provide more accuracy in combat. By factoring the wind speed, direction and desired distance together, the operators could calculate how many revolutions of the engine were required to reach the target and then drop the payload accordingly, resulting in a better accuracy than was attainable with current artillery. Kettering predicted that the device could reach an enemy over 75 miles away. (Stamp) The initial testing of the "Bug" proved to be highly successful, and the government ordered 20,000 of these devices, but before more than 50 could be produced the war ended and none were ever used in combat. (Hunt)

After World War I, research did continue for a short period into unmanned aircrafts, but due to lack of funding no major advances occurred until World War II, at which point development quickly began. Radio-operated B-24 bombers were sent on missions to Germany, the DH.82B Queen Bee became the first returnable and reusable UAV used in training missions in Britain, and a B-17 Flying Fortress set the record for the longest unmanned flight from Hawaii to California. (IWN Staff) In future conflicts like Vietnam and the Middle East, drones gained more importance and power. One of the more significant achievements made through the use of a surveillance US Predator drone was the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. (Bowden) Though with each new development and achievement, many discuss the implications of unmanned warfare. While drones greatly reduce the ratio of civilian to combatant deaths, many questions arise around the targeting decisions by the military. In addition to the questions of targeting by military officials, many also wonder of the possible implications of artificial intelligence in drones and how that may impact the landscape of war. While that may be a problem for further into the future, it is important to consider begin considering the implications now while evaluating their usage in the past.