They fit in your hand, but could trigger the apocalypse: welcome to the era of miniature drones packed with explosives. China has just unveiled an autonomous device that makes disaster movie scenarios obsolete.
In modern conflicts, innovation kills... and it's getting smaller and smaller. China has unveiled an autonomous combat drone, resembling a vertical tube packed with explosives. of sensors and explosives, capable of making decisions without human intervention. Weighing less than a kilo, this device is launched from a rifle, deploys in flight, and drops grenades with surgical precision. A chilling evolution, far from the robots of science fiction: here, AI kills, and no one presses the button.
Used in Ukraine, these "intelligent" drones mark a new stage in the arms race.Anti-drone systems (jammers, lasers) are becoming obsolete in the face of autonomous machines, insensitive to interference. " It's a game of cat and mouse, but the mouse has learned to circumvent all the rules,” summarizes a military analyst.
AI on the front line: drones that decide for themselves
The Chinese model, equipped with counter-rotating rotors, resembles a miniaturized version of the Australian Drone40. But where its cousins require an operator, this one acts solo. Once propelled by a grenade launcher, its AI analyzes the terrain, avoids obstacles, and chooses its target. Its mission? Drop up to three explosives, twice its own weight, or spy on enemy positions with its HD camera.
In theory, these drones could operate in swarms, flooding a battlefield with killer micro-robots. In practice, they risk striking well beyond military zones. Capable of penetrating buildings, they also threaten civilians, transforming any location into a combat zone.
The lack of an ethical framework alarms experts. LAWS (Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems) raise a crucial question: can we let a machine decide life or death? China, like other powers, is avoiding the debate. The result: increasingly sophisticated drones are flooding conflicts. Moreover, the autonomy of these devices under maximum load is unknown, and their vulnerability to breakdowns could make them unpredictable. But for the time being, their ease of use and low cost make them formidable weapons.
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