The government of the United States has established an export policy for military and commercial drones, including those that are armed with weapons, with the government adding that it is planning to discuss and create global standards with other countries regarding the usage of the controversial weapons systems.
The State Department said that it will allow lethal military drones from the United States to be exported out of the country with strict conditions, such as the sale being made through programs by the involved governments and that the countries receiving the drones should agree to "end-use assurances."
The new policy, which has classified details, is released after a review that lasted for two years amid increasing demand from ally countries of the United States for the military drones which played significant roles in military operations carried out in Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq.
The policy may also help boost the sales for military and commercial drones by companies based in the United States.
General Atomics, the creator of the Reaper and Predator drones, along with other drone makers Textron, Northrop Grumman and several others, have been pushing for the government of the United States to relax the strict export regulations on the weaponized drones. According to the companies, the regulations have made the companies lose potential customers in Israel and other countries in the increasingly competitive and growing global market.
The new policy is released just a few days after regulators in the United States aviation industry made a proposal to remove certain restrictions on the usage of commercial drones, but activities will still be limited.
According to officials, the policy will allow the closest allies of the United States to buy the armed drones much easier, but with the United States still maintaining strict controls over the technology.
The only other country using armed drones from the United States is Britain, with Italy and France using Reaper drones for surveillance. An official from the State Department revealed that Turkey and Italy have previously requested to purchase armed drones, and the queries will be reviewed with the implementation of the new policy.
The new policy includes "a strong presumption of denial" for the sale of the biggest drones, named Category I aircraft, which have ranges of at least 300 kilometers and are capable of carrying weights of at least 500 kilograms. However, the policy states that exports of such drones can be allowed on rare occasions.
Governments that purchase military drones under the policy are required to agree to conditions which include following international drone laws, banning the usage of drones for unlawful surveillance activities and cracking down on domestic populations.
