AS THE coalition of armed forces led by the US continues its strike on the
Taliban, America’s Air Force is gearing up to test a new weapon that could
change the way wars are fought—both tactically and politically.
Last-minute checks are under way for the first flight tests of the Unmanned
Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) in December. The aim of this $120 million
programme is to make fully armed, autonomous combat planes capable of carrying
out offensive missions.
But the prospect of a future in which planes choose their own targets brings
with it grave concerns of reliability and…
