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The drones pose a significant threat to the security of Switzerland, but their potential does not put in doubt the acquisition of a new combat aircraft. Foreign armies use drones mainly in the fight against terrorism.
The Australian Air Force is testing combat drones, but is also in the process of revamping its conventional fighter jets.
Before viruses, it was small drones that could land air traffic at London’s Gatwick Airport for several days. Small unmanned aircraft disrupted takeoffs and landings of large aircraft. The tower’s flight controllers had to temporarily shut down. Meanwhile, British airports are using defense technology worth millions and have apparently been able to prevent attacks by climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion group.
Drones bring the possibilities of asymmetric warfare to airspace. States and businesses can meet challenges with relatively little effort. At the same time, remotely controlled flying objects have been supplementing the arsenals of regular armies since the 1990s, especially for use in confusing conflicts. They are not currently replacing manned fighter jets, but they do pose an additional challenge: On closer inspection, the controversies in the referendum battle show up as political public relations.
Strategic needs of Switzerland
The Swiss army is currently awaiting the delivery of a new Hermes reconnaissance drone from Israel. Acquisitions are overdue. In summer, a sample that should have been delivered to Switzerland crashed on a test flight. During the border closures due to the Corona crisis, the army had to use helicopters to support the customs administration in monitoring the green border. Defense technology that can detect opposing drone flight and interfere with radio technology is lacking. You have to catch up here.
In an interview with Radio SRF, former Israeli air defense commander Zvika Haimovich recently noted that today’s opponents use cheaper means such as drones in the air, just as they did on the ground, such as in attacking a refinery. of Saudi oil a year ago. However, the thesis is controversial. The attack could also have been carried out with a cruise missile.
Even if the former Israeli general has a stake in a company that sells anti-drone technology and represents commercial interests in his statements, he rightly points to the rapid development of military assets, which are also acquired and used by terrorists. can be. However, interpreting asymmetric versus symmetric threats as an argument against the acquisition of new combat aircraft falls short and does not recognize the strategic needs of Switzerland, the G20 country.
Modern combat aircraft can be used as multifunctional platforms in different roles and, above all, in a scalable way; Ultimately, they are an example of military readiness. Drones, on the other hand, have limited capabilities.
Germany is currently debating the acquisition of armed drones. In a current report, the Bundeswehr primarily advocates better protection of human life. Protection of objects such as the Kunduz field camp in Afghanistan or convoys as part of the UN stabilization mission in Mali are listed as case studies. The focus here is also on foreign assignments in an asymmetric environment.
In 2005, the US Department of Defense created a roadmap for the further development of its own drone program until 2030. The starting point was the global war on terror. Drones appear to be the most effective means of fighting an enemy hiding among civilians. They can be used safely and, above all, very precisely for your own side. Selective and impersonal murder from a distance also raises ethical questions.
Unmanned combat aircraft are just beginning to develop
The roadmap also shows the areas of possible drone deployments. Consequently, drones should be preferred over conventional combat aircraft if the assignment is long-term (“boring”), dirty (“dirty”), or extremely dangerous (“dangerous”). In the wars of recent years in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the United States sought to use drones to reduce the human and political costs of military force. Fighter jets continued to be the backbone of American airborne capabilities.
But rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are driving further development of drone technology. Earlier this year, American businessman and Tesla founder Elon Musk launched a debate with the comment that the era of fighter jets was over. In a direct confrontation, an F35 would stand no chance against a drone remotely controlled by a human, whose maneuvering capabilities are enhanced by autonomy, that is, artificial intelligence.
In fact, there are first forms of such unmanned combat aircraft. The Australian Air Force is already testing a prototype called the Boeing Loyal Wingman, which is used in conjunction with conventional aircraft, as a “loyal wingman”. The drone flies independently and does not have to be remotely controlled. At the same time, Australia is in the process of renewing its air force with American F35 jets.
Strengthening the defense skills of drones
The question of whether drones will completely replace manned fighter jets cannot be clearly answered at this time. This also depends on industrial competition and the geopolitical situation, which could trigger faster progress in technical development. The Swiss Air Force does not misjudge the signs of the times if it continues to rely on conventional fighter jets after 2030.
For states and their armed forces, technological development means not only the opportunity to acquire new military capabilities, but also an increase in threats. This is also discussed in the 2016 Federal Council Security Policy Report. The authors hope that the recognition of targets and the immediate and precise fight against the enemy will improve and spread: “Highly developed, in some cases even the systems of Autonomous weapons, as well as armed and unarmed drones, will play an increasingly important role in this. “
All the more important are the capabilities to defend against such threats from the air, but not in competition with a new combat aircraft, but complementary. Because the armed forces are complete systems. The focus on the renewal of conventional air defense does not mean giving up defense against new forms of threat or treating them as quantité négligeable.
On the contrary, with the purchase of a new fighter and longer-range anti-aircraft missiles, the opportunity opens to buy time and freedom of action to be at the forefront of the next technological leap. Perhaps, after the vote, the speech, which currently focuses on one oo, will again open to a security-policy of both-and. Further development of the current fragile world situation calls for more caution and less tunnel vision.
