Developing autonomous fighting machines

If you’re the sort of person who takes Hollywood blockbusters seriously, then defence research is an inherently risky thing. Advanced weaponry rarely works and it’s left to plucky mavericks to save the day. Most risky of all are autonomous robotic defence systems; according to the Terminator films, they’re bound to become self aware, decide that humanity is a threat and unleash a nuclear armageddon to wipe pesky Homo sapiens off the face of the planet.

In reality, autonomous systems are firmly in place as an integral part of the armed forces’ arsenal. For instance, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) often referred to as drones are regularly used to perform reconnaissance and attack missions, with BAE Systems’ Mantis among the systems carrying out observation and the General Atomics Predator capable of using missiles and other weaponry.

What’s more, the use of autonomous systems in defence looks set to increase in the coming years. The UK’s armed forces have asked for studies of numerous scenarios involving unmanned vehicles both on the ground and in the air, with the aim of removing humans, wherever possible, from hazardous situations.