# World in shock as “killer drone” hunts and kill on its own

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2021/05/world-in-shock-as-killer-drone-hunts-and-kill-on-its-own/
- Published: 2021-05-31T22:23:47+01:00
- Author: Ekene Lionel

What some would classify as “science fiction” has actually taken place in Africa.

Last year “an autonomous weaponized drone hunted down a human target last year” 
and attacked them without being specifically ordered to, according to a report from
the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on Libya, published in March 2021.

The “killer drone” acted on its own without human intervention, “hunted down” and
killed a human target without being instructed to do so.

Lethal autonomous weapons systems, sometimes called “killer robots,” are weapon 
systems that use artificial intelligence, software and algorithm to identify, select,
and kill human targets without human control. This means that the decision to kill
a human target is no longer made by humans, but software.

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The incident took place during clashes in Libya last year, a country that has witnessed
the [largest drones war](https://www.military.africa/2021/05/world-in-shock-as-killer-drone-hunts-and-kill-on-its-own/military.africa/2019/09/drone-war-in-libya-wing-long-ii-versus-bayraktar-tb2)
in humankind history.

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In the incident, a KARGU-2 quadcopter drone manufactured by STM, a Turkish company
autonomously attacked a Libyan National Army (LNA) personnel during a conflict.

![Turkish stm kargu killer drone](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/turkish-
stm-kargu-killer-drone.png)

Turkish-made STM Kargu -2 drone

The Turkish-built KARGU-2, targeted, hunted down and killed one of Haftar’s soldiers
while he tried to retreat.

The killer drone was fitted with an explosive charge, and it nosedived on the human
target, exploding its charge thereby killing the unsuspecting victim.

According to STM, the KARGU is a rotary wing attack drone that has been designed
for asymmetric warfare or anti-terrorist operations. It can be carried by a single
personnel in both autonomous and manual modes.

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This, experts believes is likely the first time drones have attacked humans on its
own without instructions to do so.

The UN report states: “The lethal autonomous weapons systems were programmed to 
attack targets without requiring data connectivity between the operator and the 
munition: in effect, a true ‘fire, forget and find’ capability.”

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