Medium altitude, long endurance drones are becoming a component of regular air forces. However, the extent to which manned aircraft are being replaced by such "MALE UAVs" (MALE = Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, UAV = Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) remains unclear. At present Germany is faced with determining with what means the Luftwaffe should be equipped in the medium term (up to 2020) and long-term (post-2020). Beyond military considerations, there are cooperation and industrial policy issues to be taken into account, since no one individual state in Europe can or wants to provide the financial means to develop a national MALE UAV model. Although European industry has already launched research and development projects, their governments are by no means on board. Likewise it is also unclear whether drones are to be armed in future. Discussion has been continuing for some time as to how far targeted killings are responsible and permissible. In contrast, no fundamental debate has so far taken place about what the ethical consequences are of the trend towards automated combat. Such a debate is now overdue and urgent, as the momentum of technological development conceals the danger that human beings may abdicate moral responsibility in decisions over the use of force. (author's abstract)
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机译：中等高度，持久力的无人机正成为常规空军的一部分。然而，尚不清楚这种“ MALE UAVs”（MALE =中海拔高度，长期耐力，UAV =无人飞行器）替代有人驾驶飞机的程度。目前，德国面临着确定应该在中期（到2020年）和长期（到2020年后）装备德国空军的方式。除了军事方面的考虑外，还有一些合作和产业政策问题需要考虑，因为欧洲没有任何一个国家能够或不想提供财政手段来开发国家MALE无人机模型。尽管欧洲工业界已经启动了研究和开发项目，但它们的政府绝不参与。同样，也不清楚未来是否要武装无人机。关于目标杀人在多大程度上是负责任的和允许的，讨论已经持续了一段时间。相比之下，到目前为止，关于自动战斗趋势的伦理后果究竟是什么，至今还没有根本的辩论。由于技术发展的势头掩盖了人类在行使武力的决定中可能放弃道义责任的危险，这种辩论现在是迟来的和紧迫的。 （作者的摘要）
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