Judging by recent media reporting and pronouncements by senior US military and security officials, the use of UAVs by terror groups is both reshaping conflict between armed non-state actors and state parties and now presents a grave and direct threat to nations in the West and elsewhere.
But does this threat warrant the attention it is currently receiving? To answer this question, this article surveys how various terror groups have used UAVs both tactically on the battlefield and for wider strategic purposes. Closely examining how UAVs have been employed and by whom provides a basis for understanding variation in adoption.
The article shows how UAV usage or non-usage is highly contingent on the setting of the conflict, the aims of different groups, and the capacity of groups to adopt the technology. Though advances in UAV technology could make the use-case more appealing for militant groups, UAVs will be subject to the same back-and-forth, techno-tactical adaptation dynamic between adversaries that have accompanied prior military innovations.