Cheaper precision weapons

an exploratory study about the HESA Shahed 136

Resumo

Abstract: In relation to drones being used as weapons of war, the ability to hit a target with precision and from long range was being reserved for only the most advanced countries. However, this is changing, and drones with long range and accuracy are becoming increasingly more accessible to those countries that did not count with this capability. This article aims to address the latest innovations in relation to low-cost, long-range precision weapons, more precisely, the use of kamikaze drones and loitering munitions, starting with the example of the Shahed 136 drone. This article is an explanatory research, coming from the discussion of the concept of kamikaze drone, thereafter, it analysed the design choices of the Shahed 136 with the objective of pondering the future of this new type of weapon and the implications to humanity.  It concludes that the HESA Shahed 136 revolutionises the concept of precise long-range strikes, a function that until now was reserved for expensive and technologically demanding tactical missiles and aircraft, and can now be accomplished with cheap drones. This development has created a new humanitarian problem, an arms race not only to produce the most destructive and accurate, but also the cheapest.