The top general in the United Kingdom said that thousands of robots will join the British army. He claimed that 30,000 robo-soldiers will soon work alongside humans in and around the frontline.
A Harris T7 multi-mission robotic system is deployed by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) search team during their Mission Rehearsal Exercise ahead of deployment to Mali, on the Ministry of Defence training area on Salisbury Plain, on October 15, 2020 in Salisbury, England. Later this year, 300 military personnel will join the UN in Mali on a peacekeeping mission and help counter instability following a coup which ousted President Keïta in August. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was formed in response to the seizing of territory by militant Islamists following a coup in 2012.
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The head of the armed forces explained, during a television interview, that these machines could form an integral part of the British army around 2030.
"Think about how we measure effects in a different way," Gen. Sir Nick Carter told the armed forces, as reported by the Guardian U.K.
He even suggested that the government should proceed with the recently promised five-year integrated defence review.
What will the robo-soldiers do?
General Carter explained that armed forces developed for 2030 will include remotely controlled or autonomous machines.
"I mean, I suspect we could have an army of 120,000, of which 30,000 might be robots, who knows?" said Carter.
A Harris T7 multi-mission robotic system is deployed by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) search team during their Mission Rehearsal Exercise ahead of deployment to Mali, on the Ministry of Defence training area on Salisbury Plain, on October 15, 2020 in Salisbury, England. Later this year, 300 military personnel will join the UN in Mali on a peacekeeping mission and help counter instability following a coup which ousted President Keïta in August. The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was formed in response to the seizing of territory by militant Islamists following a coup in 2012.
However, the top general still hasn't provided a specific number in terms of future production. According to Digital Trends' latest report, the large and small array of robots will be used to conduct various operations on the battlefield.
On the other hand, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is also working on a gun-equipped hexacopter. The "i9" flying weapon is capable of tracking down targets using machine vision and flies inside buildings.
Although it is still a prototype, the war machine could be useful in places that are dangerous to send in human soldiers.
Can these war machines actually fight?
The U.K.'s MoD said that the current policy only allows humans to fire weapons. Although this is the case, there is still a growing concern about the possible danger of unrestricted robot warfare.
General Carter also warned that the country could be dragged into a deadly future war if their project is misunderstood. As of the moment, these robo-soldiers will not be given any firearms unless the policy is changed.
For more news updates about U.K.'s project and other robotic programs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
