The Robots Of War

Russia’s unmanned Uran-9 tank is armed with a 30-millimeter cannon capable of punching through brick walls, as well as four missiles that can take out tanks or aircraft.

The 10-ton ground vehicle was deployed to Syria but reportedly suffered multiple failures and frequently lost contact with its operators in the heat of battle.

The Ukrainian-made Phantom is one of several unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) being pitched to that country’s military. The 2.5-ton Phantom has yet to fire its 12.7-millimeter machine gun in combat, but some Ukrainians are doubtful such infantry-support vehicles would make reliable battle companions.

One military expert told RFE/RL’s Ukraine Service, “If [a patrol] goes out at night and this robot is chugging along next to us, we can be seen and heard from two kilometers away.... So I say [to the developers], ‘Guys, this robot is cool, but keep it for yourselves.’”

But not all unmanned vehicles have failed their baptism of fire. The Guardium, an Israeli-made buggy, has been prowling Israel’s flashpoint perimeters since its introduction in 2012.

An Israeli soldier with the armor-plated Guardium. The vehicle can be fitted with an array of sensors and deliver hundreds of kilograms of cargo to troops under fire. Although the

Guardium remains in service, the company behind the project wound down its development in 2016 citing a lack of international interest.

In 2014 a subsidiary of Samsung -- a company better known for smartphones than killer robots -- installed a phalanx of weaponized robo-sentries along the border between North and South Korea.

The SGR-A1s can spot suspicious movement from up to 4 kilometers away. Once an alarm is sounded, a human operator can give the command to open up with a machine gun (concealed under its weather shelter at top right) or pop 40-millimeter grenades at its target. The system sparked significant hand-wringing over the ethics of bringing lethal weaponry to the brink of autonomy.

But the most famous of the world’s unmanned "hunter-killers" is probably the Reaper drone, introduced to the U.S. Air Force in 2007. A missile launched from a Reaper in 2015 reportedly "evaporated" a suspected Islamic State militant and British citizen, dubbed "Jihadi John," who allegedly beheaded hostages on camera.

The Reaper can fly loaded with missiles for up to 14 hours, and flies too high and quietly to be easily detected from the ground.

During combat operations targeting suspected militants since the September 11 terrorist attacks, drone-launched missiles have killed civilians in isolated regions of Pakistan and Yemen, as well as Afghanistan. International debate has simmered and raged as a result.

Drone pilots in Iraq in 2007. As the physical distancing of soldiers from the ultraviolence of war becomes more common, the red line for many people remains the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or autonomy in war.

Atlas, a humanoid robot developed with funding from the U.S. Defense Department. The robot can outperform most humans in some physical feats. As the capabilities of robots literally leap ahead, the simultaneous sharpening of AI virtually ensures that efforts to develop robotic warfare will continue.

But despite calls for regulation, or the outright banning of autonomous robots capable of lethal violence, many experts argue that stopping development in one country won't necessarily encourage others to follow suit. In 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking about the potential and dangers of AI, said, “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world."