Technological advancements are changing human lives in numerous ways – be it the way wars are fought or businesses are conducted. Drones, also known as Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), reflect this change most aptly. [i] The military is no stranger to drones as forces have been using them for a variety of applications, such as surveillance and reconnaissance, in unknown or hostile territories, to track enemy movements, for border patrols, search and rescue missions, and emergency services. Armed versions of drones have been used to protect the lives of men and women in uniform as well as to target and kill enemy forces including terrorists. In the Indian neighbourhood, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) have been put to significant use in fighting al-Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In fact, in the late 1990s, as the hunt for Osama bin Laden intensified, Afghanistan became the laboratory for the US’ development of armed drones. [ii] However, it was only after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US did Washington sanction the use of armed drones. Since then, drones have been increasingly used for targeted killings and air support for ground troops across both Afghanistan and Pakistan. As former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Michael Hayden once wrote, “Targeted killing using drones has become part of the American way of war.” [iii]
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