When it comes to unmanned warfare it's nothing personal

Throughout history, some forms of war and weaponry are viewed with greater horror than others. Even ancient civilisations tried to codify the rules of war - jus in bello.

UN urged to replace peacekeepers with drones in fragile Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast, whose security situation is described as "fragile" after a decade of turmoil that culminated in a brief civil war in 2011, has asked the UN to consider deploying the unmanned aerial systems when its peacekeeping forces are reduced later this year.

US jails Chinese engineer for taking files on missile guidance system to China

Measured in millimetres, the tiny device was designed to allow drones, missiles and rockets to hit targets without satellite guidance. An advanced version was being developed secretly for the United States military by a small firm and L-3 Communications, a major defence contractor.

New arms treaty could ease 'robot' drone fears

For a species that loves new technology - that lives and dies by it - it's strange how we sometimes demonise our own creations. Last time, it was genetically modified foods. They might just save the world, except that there's something "sciencey" and unnatural about them. Hard-to-understand foods? No, thank you.

John Brennan finally confirmed as head of CIA

The US Senate has finally confirmed John Brennan as CIA director after the White House doused a fierce debate over the potential use of domestic drones that could have delayed filling the crucial post.

Urgent need for international rules on drones

Drones, the unmanned aircraft that can spy and kill, are most associated with US President Barack Obama's administration, which has used them extensively in its fight against terrorists, staking out and claiming targets in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. So versatile and successful have they been that there is burgeoning demand among other governments to acquire or develop them.

Iran says it brought down 'enemy' spy drone

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have brought down a foreign surveillance drone during a military exercise, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said on Saturday.

US unveils medal to honour troops in cyberattacks and drone strikes

The Pentagon unveiled a new medal to honour "extraordinary" troops who launch cyberattacks or drone strikes from their consoles, even if they do not risk their lives in combat.

US killer drones need judicial oversight

The US still struggles to reconcile security against terrorism with its core democratic values of the rule of law and respect for human rights. A reminder is an operational memo provided to senior members of congressional intelligence committees, lifting a veil of secrecy over the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki in a remote-controlled US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

Rights group calls for ban on ‘killer’ robots

Hollywood-style robots able to shoot people without permission from their human handlers are a real possibility and must be banned before governments start deploying them, campaigners warned on Monday.

The report “Losing Humanity”, issued by Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic, raised the alarm over the ethics of the looming technology.

Pakistan secretly developing drones: sources

Pakistan is secretly racing to develop its own armed drones, having been frustrated with US refusals to provide the aircraft, but is struggling in its initial tests with a lack of precision munitions and advanced targeting technology.

Low-cost Chinese drone to be unveiled at Zhuhai show

China's latest domestically produced unmanned aircraft will make its public debut at the biennial air show in Zhuhai this week, taking centre stage in a global drone market potentially worth hundreds of millions of US dollars.