Armed drones: Federal government researches robot war of the future – News


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The wars in Ukraine and Israel have evolved into drone warfare. Behind closed doors, the Federal Armaments Office is already researching the drone and robot war of the future. SRF has received an exclusive insight.

In an inconspicuous administrative building near Thun, the Federal Armaments Office is researching the defensive war of the future. The engineers are testing numerous experimental vehicles here – such as a dog-like robot that can perform aggressive maneuvers and stand upright like a human.

Would it also be conceivable to use such a robot for military purposes? “In principle, yes,” says Markus Höpflinger, head of the drone and robotics center at the Federal Armaments Office. “There are certain armed forces that are looking at this experimentally.”

Manufacturers have reservations

However, most robot manufacturers are against arming their machines. This is a sensitive issue at the Federal Armaments Office. The aim is to test the military capabilities of robots and drones available today. However, many manufacturers and researchers do not want this.

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In addition to large military drones, the Swiss army is also interested in small mini drones.

Keystone/Archive/URS FLUEELER

Despite industry concerns, the US Army in particular is intensively testing armed robots. The goal: In the future, machines should be at the forefront, not people. However, it is criticized that this could lower the inhibition threshold to start a war.

Mini drones are changing warfare

In the Ukrainian war, a military-technical revolution is taking place in the air. The Ukrainian army is now destroying up to 80 percent of Russian tanks using small armed drones.

The scientists in the robot laboratory in Thun also experimented with such small drones. In the future they also want to test armed systems. Development is progressing rapidly. “In the future, humans will monitor hundreds or thousands of drones that fly autonomously,” Markus Höpflinger is convinced. A development that certainly worries him.

Army chief wants armed drones

The head of the army also wants to equip himself with drones. He wants up to 800 million francs for the next four years Spend testing of new weapon systems, as he announced in March. Army chief Thomas Süssli announces that he also wants to procure armed drones. “Armed drones are cheap to produce, have a long range and great precision,” explains Süssli.

Taboo topic of autonomous weapons


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The possible robot war of the future worries all researchers. A short horror film from 2017 caused a stir. A swarm of mini drones deliberately killed people. In the robot laboratory in Thun, the scientists from the Federal Armaments Office came to the conclusion: This is not just science fiction. “This is technically possible today,” explains Markus Höpflinger. “The development is going in this direction and we will not be able to stop it from Switzerland.” Nevertheless, the researchers at the Federal Armaments Office do not want to develop autonomous weapon systems that independently select and kill their target. That remains a red line.

The army chief and also the scientists in the Federal Armaments Office want to involve Swiss universities more closely in the defensive war of the future. There is already a collaboration agreement with ETH Zurich. However, military applications of robots are explicitly excluded.

Concerns at ETH Zurich

Roland Siegwart is a leading drone researcher at ETH Zurich. He works with the Federal Office for Armaments on civilian applications. But he has major reservations about armed drones. “At ETH and especially in my team, everyone is very much against the military use of robots,” explains Siegwart. “We would never do a project with an arms company.”

However, Siegwart admits that when it comes to the Swiss army, there has been a rethinking since the Russian attack on Ukraine. “If Switzerland as a country were at risk, we would offer support,” Siegwart is convinced.

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