Most discussions involving the use of remotely piloted aircraft in combat likely conjure up images of America's giant Predator and Reaper drones, tailor-made military aircraft designed for surveillance and killing. But videos posted recently to YouTube coupled with US military reports suggest that combatants and civilians alike in war-torn regions might also need to worry about weaponized versions of small, inexpensive consumer drones.
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A video posted to YouTube showing what is claimed to be a Hezbollah armed drone in Syria. It is worth noting that the authenticity of these videos is still unclear.Jack Serle, a journalist with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's Covert Drone War project, told Motherboard that while these drones do not pose the same threat as conventional weapons launched from military aircraft or so-called hunter-killer drones like Reapers and Predators, their capacity to induce panic in civilian areas is a problem."What's really been making people nervous about shop-bought drones in the hands of non-state groups is use in civilian areas, especially in crowded places like shopping centers or sports stadiums," Serle wrote in an email. "They may not inflict mass casualties, but the terror and panic they could cause is really worrying. This potential for this kind of thing has been on many people's minds for some years now, and the technology is starting to become a reality."American troops stationed in Iraq and Syria have also commented on the rise of small consumer drones being spotted in the air, according to the Times. Such sightings go hand-in-hand with new tactics from the Islamic State."In August, the Islamic State called on its followers to jury-rig small store-bought drones with grenades or other explosives and use them to launch attacks at the Olympics," the Times reported. While no such attacks ever took place in Brazil, the message from Islamic State highlights the terrorist organization's apparent willingness to expand its toolkit.Serle told Motherboard that the problem may also be growing as a result of the falling cost of consumer drones that are simultaneously becoming more sophisticated. While traditional anti-air and newly-designed anti-drone weapons exist, Serle said that as consumer drones get more advanced, and the pilots operating them become more adept, "you can imagine a big swarm of them being very hard to stop."Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.