Ministry of Defence military exercise will feature 'killer robots'

The Ministry of Defence is organising its first-ever "Robo-Wars" exercise this autumn, using drones, seacraft and a host of other innovations as part of the growing trend towards reducing the role of humans in combat. The large-scale event off the west coast of Scotland will form part of the regular UK-led Nato Joint Warriors exercise. The navy, on its website, is billing the robotic part as "Unmanned Warrior 2016", and says: "Recognising a commitment to innovation, the Royal Navy will host a large-scale demonstration in a tactically representative environment of maritime autonomous systems in the autumn of 2016." More than 80 countries around the world, including the US and China, have stepped up research and development of "killer robots" and other non-human forms of warfare. Although large-scale civilian casualties from robotic warfare – mainly from drones – are already a reality, military personnel, analysts and academics have predicted that combat would one day be conducted between armies of robots and unmanned vehicles.