New Armed UAV Export Rules Help US Firms

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New US rules loosening restrictions on exports of armed drones should not only help US companies, but will also aid Washington in shaping “global norms of behavior” when it comes to strike UASs (unmanned aerial systems), an expert said.

The US State Department released new rules for how and when it may sell a variety of armed drones to its allies.

According to Defense News, the move comes as the Obama administration places a high priority on training and equipping its allies — in particular its NATO partners — to assume more of a role in regional stability, humanitarian and counterterrorism operations.

The full scope of the changes to US policy remain somewhat murky, since the full results of an internal review remain classified. Nevertheless, the State Department recently released a statement outlining some of the major thrusts of the new policy.

The new export policy will place strict conditions on the sale or transfer of platforms that are capable of being armed, and pledges to undertake new sales only when they will enhance US allies’ abilities.

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Arms sales – in particular UASs – serve the following overall goal: “bolstering the operational capabilities and capacity of trusted partner nations, increasing US interoperability with these partners for coalition operations, ensuring responsible use of these systems, and easing the stress on US force structure for these capabilities.” This, according to the State Department’s statement.

The changes to the policy come out of a broader review that include plans to work with allies to help shape international standards for the sale, transfer and use of drones, officials at the State Department said.

The chorus of voices from outside the government calling for changes to the unmanned system export rules has grown in recent years, particularly from industry. Proponents of the change argue that it makes no sense to block the sale of an ISR-focused Predator system to a country to whom the US has already agreed to sell high-end weapons.

The breakdown of US arms exports does not specify the share of UASs. Nevertheless, compiled together, various figures point to an increase in the share of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of total US arms exports. This, despite the decline in US exports between 2011 ($10 billion) and 2012 ($8.7 billion) and the further drop in 2013 (to slightly over $6 billion). Clearly, these figures do not reflect the actual scope.