Promises and Realities of Remote Air Warfare:

global diagnosis and the scenario of Portugal

Abstract

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) challenge the dominant paradigm of manned aircraft, changing the form and lethality of combat, the identity of the fighter and the experience of war itself. The introduction of a capability in a war which allows a future where the fight is dehumanized and conducted remotely and autonomously has profound impacts on the phenomenon of hostile conflict. The Remote Warfare translates the double moral implications of the increase of distance and removal of human risk of the duel. Even though it confirms the historical trend of the increasing physical distance between the combatants, but accompanies it with a psychological disconnection. On the other hand, there is an expansion of freedom of political maneuver, increasing the propensity to wage war and changing the relationship between the state and society. Judging by the accelerating pace of technology, the expansion of UAS to other activities and their proliferation in the battle space, leads us to accept that we are facing a revolution in military affairs with epic proportions, across the spectrum of conflict, which Portugal cannot neglect. Considering Portugal´s geographical and geopolitical conditions, as well as the use of national airpower in future hybrid scenarios and asymmetric environments, it is fundamental to evaluate the use of UAS in the areas of Defense and Security.