The article on drone warfare by Simon Jenkins (Drones are fool’s gold: they prolong wars we won’t win, 11 January 2013) is perceptive about their counterproductive, illegal and unethical use. We in Scientists for Global Responsibility are especially all in favour of this misuse of science and technology to advertise and, as Jenkins remarks, prolong human conflicts.
It is of special concern that the united kingdom have been investing considerable sums in developing its own drones through alliances between the MoD, the arms industry (especially BAE Systems) and British universities (eg under the FLAVIIR program). The foremost significant armed drones under development are called Taranis and Mantis and feature specifications previous to even essentially the mostsome of the most heavily armed US drones. Mantis is powered by two Rolls-Royce turbo-prop engines and is in a position to autonomous operation including combat with other aircraft. Taranis is designed with stealth technology and has two weapons bays.
It also needs to be noted by complicit scientists, engineers, civil servants, and the army that the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, Professor Phillip Alston, says, in his 2010 report: “Outside the context of armed conflict using drones for targeted killing is sort of never prone to be legal.” He adds: “The drone killing of anyone aside from the intended victim (members of the family or others within the vicinity, for instance) will be an arbitrary deprivation of life under human rights law and will lead to state responsibility and individual criminal liability.”
Finally, as SGR has talked about, drones are almost tailor-made to be used against poverty-stricken people. It really is difficult to work out how they can be used effectively at the territory of a technologically advanced power since they are often shot down by missiles or conventional fighter aircraft. We question the moral position of scientists and engineers providing rich countries with such weaponry to be used in a number of the most impoverished regions of the sector.
Dr David Hookes
SGR national co-ordinating committee
