作者/Author(s): Trevor Phillips-Levine, Andrew Tenbusch, Walker D. Mills, Dylan "Joose" Phillips-Levine, and Collin Fox 

原文來源/Source: War on the Rocks 

日期/Date: 01/25/2023 

主題/Key Topics: Military, Drone Warfare, Future of War 

摘要：

無人機武器化的好處 

• 美國在中東反恐戰爭中意識到小型武器化無人機的危險。伊斯蘭國在四旋翼飛機上配備了致命的非導引彈藥，並將其投放到安全部隊或前哨基地。 
• 將商業無人機改裝成小型非導引機器，將成為非國家行為者實現精確空中火力的趨勢。 
• 無人機武器化的殺傷力

1. 作為一個可再生的武器運送平台，無人機可以放下它們的負載，並返回基地重新武裝，以執行新一輪的任務。
2. 武裝無人機可以改裝成遊蕩無人機，但它們沒有再生空中力量或返回和重新武裝的能力。需要為無人機和彈頭提供可持續的戰鬥後勤服務，以便為長時間的戰鬥補給遊蕩彈藥。

• ​​​​​​​烏克蘭戰爭顯示了精確性和保持後勤靈活性的重要性。烏克蘭使用了許多制引彈藥，但將迫擊炮彈或手榴彈武裝到無人機上攻擊俄羅斯目標，以維持寶貴的精確彈藥的可用性。 
• 與遊蕩無人機和導引彈藥一樣，無人機包含微處理器和特殊零件，尤其是光學零件需要特定的供應商。一旦完成攻擊，軍隊就需要更換無人機的有效載荷。同時，他們也需要更換遊蕩彈藥和精確彈藥的運載系統和彈頭，這讓他們面臨更大的後勤負擔。 
• 後勤實力能夠不斷補充的一方將可以維持更長的時間並贏得戰爭。因此，使用具有可接受精度的武器化無人機會比使用需要多元化供應鏈的精美武器系統更可持續。 

• The US realized the dangers of small weaponized drones during its War against Terrorism in the Middle East. The Islamic State equips quadcopters with lethal unguided munitions and drops them on security forces or outposts. 
• Modifying commercial drones with small unguided will be a trend among non-state actors to achieve precise aerial firepower. 
• The lethality of weaponized drones:

1. ​​​​​​​As a regenerative weapons delivery platform, drones can drop their load and return to their bases for rearming for another round of missions. 
2. Weaponized drones can be modified into loitering drones, but they do not have regenerative airpower or the ability to return and rearm. Sustainable combat logistics for drone vehicles and warheads are required to restock loitering munitions for long combats. ​​​​​​​

• The Ukrainian war shows the importance of precision and maintaining logistics flexibility. Ukraine used many guided munitions but armed mortar rounds or grenades to a drone to attack Russian targets to preserve the availability of precious precision ammunition. 
• Like loitering drones and guided ammunition, a drone contains microprocessors and specialty parts, especially optics, which require specific suppliers. The army needs to replace the payload for drones once they complete an attack. However, they will need to replace the delivery system and warhead for loitering munitions and precision ammunition, causing a larger logistical burden. 
• The side that can replenish better over time can sustain longer and win a war. Therefore, using weaponized drones with acceptable precision is more sustainable than using exquisite weapon systems, which require diversified supply chains.