Governments Paying for Weaponized Drones to Control Protesters
A South African company revealed recenetly it sold weaponized drones to governments around the world for crowd-control purposes, Fusion reports.
Desert Wolf says it sold multi-rotor drones called the Skunk Riot Control Copter to an international mining house.
The drone features four compressed air guns, which could fire 20 rounds per second at a maximum firing rate of eighty rounds per second. The guns can hold up to 4,000 rounds but could be armed with less lethal things like paint balls, pepper balls and plastic bullets.
Hennie Kieser, director of Desert Wolf, said the Skunk Riot Control Copter is sold in bulk and shipped out in substantial orders.
So far there have been five countries that are using the drones, according to Kieser. He added that the company has sold 25 drones to an international mining house.
Kieser said Desert Wolf does not sell those kinds of drones in small numbers or to small departments looking to experiment.
Because of disclosure agreements, he could not state which countries purchased the drones.
Sputnik News reports that India has become the first country to use weaponized drones for crowd control.
"We have purchased five drone cameras with capacity of lifting two kilogram weight. They can be used to shower pepper powder on an unruly mob in case of any trouble," Senior Superintendent of Police Yashasvi Yadav said.
Police had to deploy unarmed drones for surveillance last summer during riots that killed at least three people and injured 12 others.
According to the BBC, the International Trade Union Confederation is horrified by the idea of crowd control drones, although Desert Wolf says the riot control copter can tackle crowds "without endangering the lives of security staff."
ITUC spokesman Tim Noonan said, "This is a deeply disturbing and repugnant development and we are convinced that any reasonable government will move quickly to stop the deployment of advanced battlefield technology on workers or indeed the public involved in legitimate protests and demonstrations."
The organization looks forward to addressing the issue.
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