De Gruyter Handbook of Drone Warfare

The handbook will be focused around the conceptual issue of drone proliferation. As of 2020, at least 102 countries had acquired an active military drone inventory, and around 40 possess, or are in the process of procuring, armed drones. 35 States are believed to possess the largest and deadliest class. Since 2015, Israel, Iraq, Iran, UK, US, Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, and Pakistan have allegedly operated drones, including for the purpose of use of force, such as targeted killings. From the latest reports, 57 non-state actors have acquired their own commercial or state supplied hybrid military drone technologies. This handbook will bring together the world’s leading academic and policy researcher to explore the core themes and issues at the heart of this topic. In terms of method, the book’s large size and scale will help fill a gap in the literature; that of the need for a multi-disciplinary and mix-methods approach to this topic (which by its character) crosses the breath of academic and policy study. The book is based on the assumption that drone warfare is a revolutionary driver of change in the character of modern warfare. Until recently the common wisdom was that drone warfare had piqued under the Obama administration, yet little consideration was give to the spread of these disruptive technologies. This book will tell the history of drone warfare, and highlight key aspects of the drone debate through to contemporary and emerging issues.