Versatility

Another perceived benefit of using drones in warfare is their versatility and customizability. Drones can use many different types of ammunition, “Modernization Approaches When it comes to drone-dropped munitions, three main approaches exist for the short term: leveraging existing munitions (grenades, mortars, mines) for drone-dropping operations or strapped to drones for direct-attack loitering operations, using 3D-printed assembled cases (drone-specific munitions), and using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) such as soda can bombs and Molotov cocktails. [...]the deployment to military organizations and the sustainment phase would have to include new equipment training, storage, and logistics for the new munitions. [...]IEDs strapped onto drones have become a growing concern in warfare and have played a significant role in irregular warfare” (Lima). Guns require specific type of ammunition depending on what type you are using. With drones however, there is an endless amount of options; including being able to produce it yourself. Drones have a unique ability to adapt to any situation, unlike any other warfare technology. Different types of ammunition can be used in different scenarios, which allows the user to always be equipped for whatever they need to do. Drones being able to use any ammunition highlights their vast versatility in modern warfare. However, the versatility of drones is nothing new. Even when they were first being invented, they had multiple uses. “Drones were born during WWI as well: the French captain Max Boucher invented the first radio-controlled, remotely piloted aircraft, a Voisin 150 HP that flew a thousand meters at an altitude of 50 m with a payload of 95 kg, on July 2, 1917 (Lecerf 1920). The ‘Kettering Bug’ developed at the same time in the US was a flying bomb, as it exploded on target, and therefore a precursor to guided missiles, rather than drones”(Jeangene Vilmer). The vast differences in the two first drone models can give us an insight on how many uses drones actually have. With one being like a missile, and the other like an aircraft, it highlights how the technology of drones can be used in many different ways.