U.S. Defense Secretary: China Is Selling Drones To The Middle East That Have The Ability To Conduct Lethal Operations Autonomously

The Ziyan Blowfish A2, machine-gun armed autonomous drone. Ziyan

Breaking Defense: SecDef: China Is Exporting Killer Robots to the Mideast

For the first time, a senior Defense official has called out Beijing for selling lethal autonomy.

China is exporting drones that it advertises as having lethal autonomy to the Middle East, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday. It’s the first time that a senior Defense official has acknowledged that China is selling drones capable of taking life with little or no human oversight.

“As we speak, the Chinese government is already exporting some of its most advanced military aerial drones to the Middle East, as it prepares to export its next-generation stealth UAVs when those come oneline,” Esper said today at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence conference. “In addition, Chinese weapons manufacturers are selling drones advertised as capable of full autonomy, including the ability to conduct lethal targeted strikes.”

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