Were Russian Combat Robots Used in Syria?

bellingcat.com ^ | January 15, 2016 | Aric Toler

[Rannug]

The drones flying over NVN were not remotely controlled. Even back then.

[Theophilus]

If true, we've crossed a new threshold like Merrimac vs Monitor. UGCVs will change everything.

Watching for UGCV vs UGCV and autonomous operation...

[Billthedrill]

Nice bit of analysis on the author's part. He remains skeptical.

Nevertheless, an interesting bit of technology. We lost people in street-to-street fighting in Fallujah that might have been a little safer at a standoff distance with a Nintendo controller in their hands. It's no substitute for boots on the ground but it's one heck of an augment.

I've long been an advocate (OK, only half seriously) of outsourcing drone warfare to basement-dwelling computer geeks - we'd work cheap - although we'd probably have to suspend combat operations during the Army-Navy game to prevent *friendly* fire incidents. But SWAT teams are using these things now. I think it's inevitable.