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The war in Ukraine shows that combat drones are becoming more intelligent, more autonomous and are being used more and more frequently. Superpowers and even small states are relying on them. The Switchblade kamikaze drone, which is being made available to the Ukrainian military by the USA, has become well-known. As soon as it has found a target, it pounces on it and destroys it on impact. This "loitering munition" is now on the production list of many international weapons manufacturers. Research is also being carried out into swarms of drones that are supposed to act like flying minefields. Their sheer number alone could overwhelm the enemy and its air defense systems. Defense companies are already working on new defense systems. And they have begun to network weapons systems with each other. It is unclear how much autonomy these systems already have. If one side has autonomous weapons, the other side will follow suit, which is a great danger, says international expert Ulrike Franke. The race to that point has begun. This raises new ethical and legal questions: How autonomous can weapons be? Will algorithms soon decide on life and death rather than humans? Can the development still be regulated? Experts are skeptical. The United Nations has been holding talks about this for years. So far, without result. An "NZZ Format" about modern war. ► Subscribe to our YouTube channel and activate the bell so you don't miss a video: https://goo.gl/Fy28as ► NZZ Format: Documentaries from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung: every Thursday at 11 p.m. on SRF1. ► NZZ Erklärt: Explanatory videos from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung: / @nzz_erklaert