De Gruyter Handbook of Drone Warfare

In 2010, 60 states had a military drone program. Today at least 113 countries and 65 non-state actors now have access to weaponized drone technologies. Alongside this, established ‘drone powers’ – the U.S., China, Turkey, and Iran – have expanded their own use of military drones, increasing the sale and deployment of drones around the world. In the De Gruyter Handbook of Drone Warfare, drone expert, policy adviser, and historian, Dr James Patton Rogers, brings together 37 of the world’s leading voices on the growing issues of commercial and military drone technologies.

From the origins of military drones in the early 1900s and the resurgence of drone use during the War on Terror, through to the global proliferation of drones across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, this handbook explores the moral, ethical, technological, legal, military, geopolitical, social, and strategic issues at the heart of drone warfare. The first handbook of its kind, the volume also addresses Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine, the rise of Iranian and Houthi drones, and provides a focused analysis of the future of drone warfare and the opportunities and perils of AI, autonomy, and swarming technologies in the coming Third Drone Age.

• The first handbook on drone warfare
• Highlights key aspects of the drone debate, from the history of drones, through to AI, swarms, and autonomy
• Brings together academics, policymakers, military practitioners, human rights experts, lawyers (and more)

James Patton Rogers is the Executive Director of the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University and the NATO Country Director of the Full Spectrum Drone Warfare project, supported by NATO SPS. An expert on drones, disruptive technologies, and the history of weaponry and strategy, James has worked with the UN Security Council, UNOCT, and UNCTC (amongst others). He is the author of ‘Precision: A History of American Warfare’ (Manchester, 2023).

“Edited by one of the world’s leading experts on drone warfare, this is essential reading for all scholars, students, and policymakers concerned with the proliferation of drones.”
Anthony King, Professor of Defence and Security Studies and Director of the Strategy and Security Institute, University of Exeter, UK

“An insightful exploration of how drones are reshaping the political, strategic, operational, and tactical dimensions of modern warfare.”
Dr Claudio Palestini, Head of NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme and Chair of the NATO Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Working Group

“This is an essential contribution to the fi eld, striking a responsible balance between technical detail on the history and likely future of drone technology, and the human cost and impact when these technologies are used.”
Emily Tripp, Director of Airwars

“A first-class and streamlined effort [...] it should be considered the standard handbook-type work in the evolving field of drone warfare studies.”
Dr Robert J. Bunker in Small Wars Journal