AIAA HDI-25 Aircraft Design Unmanned Homeland Defense Interceptor; The Struggle Over Regulating Autonomous Weapons Systems

Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and remotely piloted weapons systems (RPWS) remain unregulated; efforts to subject their use to international standards are controversial.

The research team developed a conceptual defensive RPWS. Using computer-aided design (CAD) and heady calculations, the team designed an aircraft body. The team tested the body for payload, sensor, and maneuvering capabilities in simulations. Results indicate that the design fulfills core defensive mission requirements. Fuel, as a consequence of speed, was the greatest limiting factor. The design demonstrates the feasibility of strictly defensive RPWSs.

Proposals to subject LAWS/RPWS to international regulations are controversial. As militaries develop such systems, proponents of regulation are divided over implications for human responsibility and the threshold to aggression. Consequently, global standards have failed to keep pace with the development and proliferation of such weapons systems.

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Technical Advisor: Thomas Ward

STS Advisors: Peter D. Norton, Caitlin D. Wiley

Technical Team Members: William Couch, Eric Fryer, Savannah Hafer, Evan Hahn, Matthew Shin, Reid Smith, June Wiles, Nora Wilkerson