Arming Belgium’s future MQ-9B drones presents no legal or ethical objections because people remain involved in making decisions and respecting of the rules of engagement defined by the government, the Belgian Army's Defence Staff notes in an opinion sent to the chair of Parliament's National Defence Committee, Peter Buysrogge.
Armed SkyGuardian drones – the military prefer the term 'Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems' (RPAS) – would even have advantages over fighter aircraft such as the F-15 in terms of respect for international law, in particular the law of armed conflict and the rules of engagement (the circumstances in which the military can use force), according to the Defence Staff.
The opinion, a copy of which was obtained by Belga News Agency, was in response to a request from Mr Buysrogge, who, together with fellow Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) parliamentarians Theo Francken and Darya Safai, presented a motion for a resolution asking the government to arm the future RPAS.
Four of these armed drones have already been ordered while two more are envisaged, with the first deliveries expected in early 2024 in Florennes. However, the government does not plan to arm them.
According to the Defence Staff, there are advantages to arming these machines – a decision already taken by several countries using drones of the same category, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
“Instead of a pilot, the crew (of the MQ-9B) is composed of three people, who have large, high-resolution screens that clearly display data from several sensors," Defence Staff said in its opinion.
This improves the quality of decision-making and makes it possible to provide more details (of the opening of fire) to the approval authority and to the legal advisor, who is also involved in decision-making,” it added.
