It was recently reported that the Royal Navy has been testing military drones and new combat technology.
Indeed, Royal Marines were witnessed testing stealthy reconnaissance drones, heavy-lift resupply models, as well as a self-driving boat. These autonomous advanced force tests have been getting more attention the past few years although the use of autonomous technology on the battlefield is still deemed controversial.
One of the underwater drones tested aims to spy on enemy ships without being noticed. Hence, the Royal Navy is hoping to embed autonomous systems right on the front line. It was reported that these continued experimentations with emerging technologies and innovations were the only way to completely prepare people for the future.
A ban was called on autonomous weapons systems that can target and attack independently, however, it was ignored as the UK declared that this kind of weapons would never be used. But there is still a growing concern about developing these systems, especially as the UK joined the international arms race with the US, Russia, and China, among others.
