Autonomous Weapons

Extracted Attributes

• Autonomy Levels

  Human-in-the-loop (semi-autonomous), Human-on-the-loop (supervised), Human-out-of-the-loop (fully autonomous)

• Alternative Names

  LAWS, Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), Killer Robots, Robotic Weapons

• Core Technologies

  Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Sensor Suites, Computer Algorithms

• Operational Domains

  Air, Land, Water, Underwater, Space

• Regulatory Framework

  U.S. Department of Defense Directive 3000.09

• Primary Strategic Purpose

  Military deterrence and operations in communications-denied environments

Timeline

• First production of the Phalanx CIWS, an early target tracking and acquisition unit with autonomous functions. (Source: Web Search: Lethal autonomous weapons systems & artificial intelligence)

  1970-01-01

• Emergence of loitering munitions (suicide drones) with automated sensor capabilities. (Source: Web Search: Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (UNODA))

  1980-01-01

• International community bans anti-personnel mines, which are considered rudimentary autonomous weapons. (Source: Web Search: What you need to know about autonomous weapons | ICRC)

  1997-01-01

• U.S. Patriot Missile computers misidentify friendly jets, leading to friendly fire incidents due to automation error. (Source: Web Search: Lethal autonomous weapons systems & artificial intelligence)

  2000-01-01

• South Korea and Israel deploy sentry guns capable of autonomously recognizing and firing on human targets. (Source: Web Search: Lethal autonomous weapons systems & artificial intelligence)

  2014-01-01

• Status report indicates most military drones and robots are still not truly autonomous. (Source: Wikipedia: Lethal autonomous weapon)

  2025-01-01

• Updated U.S. congressional policy report on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS). (Source: Web Search: Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems)

  2026-03-26

Lethal autonomous weapon

A lethal autonomous weapon (LAW), also known as a lethal autonomous weapon system (LAWS), autonomous weapon system (AWS), robotic weapon, or killer robot, is a type of military drone or military robot, which is autonomous in that it can independently search for and engage targets based on programmed constraints and descriptions. As of 2025, most military drones and military robots are not truly autonomous. LAWs may engage in drone warfare in the air, on land, on water, underwater, or in space.

Web Search Results

• What are Autonomous Weapon Systems? - Belfer Center

  Author Ethan Lee Ethan Lee Headshot Related Programs Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy ## What are Autonomous Weapon Systems? Autonomous weapon systems—also referred to as Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS)—are a nascent class of military systems that, once activated, can independently conduct military missions without human intervention. These systems incorporate advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to independently detect targets, navigate in combat environments, and make battlefield decisions. ## Where are Autonomous Weapon Systems being used? To date, there is no publicly available evidence indicating that countries have used fully autonomous weapon systems in combat. [...] Explore the Latest U.S. China Relations Energy Artificial Intelligence Ukraine Science & Tech Middle East & North Africa Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world HARVARD Kennedy School - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs U.S. China Relations Explainer from U.S. China Relations # What are Autonomous Weapon Systems? 2 minutes Autonomous weapon systems are a type of military platform that, once activated, can independently conduct military operations without human intervention. This article provides an overview of autonomous weapon systems globally and future applications of the technology in the United States. Open Access Published: Author Ethan Lee Ethan Lee Headshot Related Programs [...] Many American defense officials believe that autonomous weapon systems are important to strengthen the United States’ conventional military deterrent against China. If Beijing decides to launch an attack against Taiwan, China’s People’s Liberation Army will likely use electronic and kinetic attacks to disrupt allied command and control networks, limiting U.S. forces’ ability to track targets and coordinate counterattacks. The United States could address this challenge, in part, through the deployment of autonomous weapon systems. Large swarms of attritable autonomous weapon systems could help U.S. forces reduce reliance on electronic links connecting unmanned platforms to human operators, offset the numerical superiority of the People’s Liberation Army, and execute attacks more

• Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

  The most common types of weapons with autonomous functions are defensive systems. This includes systems such as antivehicle and antipersonnel mines, which, once activated, operate autonomously based on trigger mechanisms. [...] Autonomous weapons systems require “autonomy” to perform their functions in the absence of direction or input from a human actor. Artificial intelligence is not a prerequisite for the functioning of autonomous weapons systems, but, when incorporated, AI could further enable such systems. In other words, not all autonomous weapons systems incorporate AI to execute particular tasks. Autonomous capabilities can be provided through pre-defined tasks or sequences of actions based on specific parameters, or through using artificial intelligence tools to derive behavior from data, thus allowing the system to make independent decisions or adjust behavior based on changing circumstances. Artificial intelligence can also be used in an assistance role in systems that are directly operated by a [...] Newer systems employing increasingly sophisticated technology include missile defense systems and sentry systems, which can autonomously detect and engage targets and issue warnings. Other examples include loitering munition (also known as suicide, kamikaze or exploding drone) which contain a built-in warhead (munition) and wait (loiter) around a predefined area until a target is located by an operator on the ground or by automated sensors onboard, and then attacks the target. These systems first emerged in the 1980s; however, their systems functionalities have since become increasingly sophisticated, allowing for, among other things, longer ranges, heavier payloads and the potential incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

• Defense Primer: U.S. Policy on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

  Updated March 26, 2026 (IF11150) Lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) are a special class of weapon systems that uses sensor suites and computer algorithms to independently identify a target and employ an onboard weapon system to engage and destroy the target without manual human control of the system. Although these systems are not yet in widespread development, it is believed they would enable military operations in communications-degraded or -denied environments in which traditional systems may not be able to operate. [...] DODD 3000.09 defines LAWS as "weapon system[s] that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator." This concept of autonomy is also known as "human out of the loop" or "full autonomy." The directive contrasts LAWS with human-supervised, or "human on the loop," autonomous weapon systems, in which operators have the ability to monitor and halt a weapon's target engagement. Another category is semi-autonomous, or "human in the loop," weapon systems that "only engage individual targets or specific target groups that have been selected by a human operator." Semi-autonomous weapons include so-called "fire and forget" weapons, such as certain types of guided missiles, that deliver effects to human-identified targets using autonomous functions.

• What you need to know about autonomous weapons | ICRC

  Mines can be considered rudimentary autonomous weapons. The serious harm they have caused to civilians in many conflicts – because their effects are difficult to control – is well documented. And it led the international community to ban anti-personnel mines in 1997. Other types of autonomous weapons have also been developed, but these tend to be used in highly constrained circumstances only. Examples include air defence systems that strike incoming missiles and some loitering munitions, developed to destroy military radars, tanks or armoured vehicles. To date these autonomous weapons have generally been used against clear-cut military targets – weapons and munitions, military radars and enemy tanks – in areas where there are few civilians or civilian objects. [...] ## Support us Find out how you as an individual can contribute to our humanitarian efforts to help people suffering because of armed conflict. Two women hugging each other Saher alghorra civilians gaza drc # What you need to know about autonomous weapons Autonomous weapons are not a work of science fiction from a distant dystopian future. They are an immediate cause of humanitarian concern and demand an urgent, international political response. Senior scientific and policy adviser at the ICRC, Neil Davison, explains. ### Share ## What is an autonomous weapon? Autonomous weapon systems, as the ICRC understands them, are any weapons that select and apply force to targets without human intervention. [...] The ICRC has recommended that states adopt new legally binding rules on autonomous weapons. New rules will help prevent serious risks of harm to civilians and address ethical concerns, while offering the benefit of legal certainty and stability. First, unpredictable autonomous weapons should be prohibited. That is autonomous weapons that are designed or used in a manner such that their effects cannot be sufficiently understood, predicted and explained – including those that 'learn' targets during use and perhaps machine learning-controlled autonomous weapons in general. Second, autonomous weapons that are designed and used to apply force against people directly should be prohibited.

• [PDF] Lethal autonomous weapons systems & artificial intelligence

  United States policy: U.S. Department of Defense Directive 3000.09, Autonomy in Autonomous Weapons, defines two echelons of weapons with integrated autonomous systems: autonomous weapons and semi-autonomous weapons. The key differentiating factor between the two in a weapon system’s kill chain is in human influence, with autonomous weapons not requiring any human input from target identification to engagement (sometimes called "human out of the loop" systems). The class of semi-autonomous weapons is further broken down into "human on the loop systems," where a human can intervene between target identification and engagement, and "human in the loop systems," where a human is tasked with selecting or confirming a specific target [1, 60]. [...] The U.S. has been a prominent innovator in the field of autonomous weapons, pioneering a target tracking and acquisition unit named Phalanx CWIS first produced in the 1970s . In the early 2000s the U.S. Patriot Missile computers misidentified friendly jets on two separate occasions, which led to friendly fire and death . Flawed procedures had not properly accounted for automation error. In the last decade, South Korea and Israel have built sentry guns capable of recognizing and firing on humans with complete autonomy . [...] T his paper surveys the key technical, humanitarian, and political challenges faced by the global community in the proliferation of autonomy in lethal weapons systems. The discussion herein covers weapons systems with varying types of autonomy, and in particular lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS): “weapon systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human operator” , which include armed drones, vehicles, submersibles, sentry turrets, missile systems, and other kinetic applications of artificial intelligence (AI). This report aims to summarize the key developments from the public domain, without clandestine information. Please contact the authors with corrections and additions.