UNMANNED THREATS: THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL RESPONSE TO DRONE-ENABLED TERRORISM

AUTHOR – MS. ANNIE WILSON* & PROF. DR. V. R. DINKAR**

* RESEARCH SCHOLAR, (2022-2025 BATCH), SCHOOL OF LAW, HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, CHENNAI.

** DEAN, SCHOOL OF LAW, HINDUSTAN UNIVERSITY, CHENNAI.

BEST CITATION – MS. ANNIE WILSON & PROF. DR. V. R. DINKAR, UNMANNED THREATS: THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL RESPONSE TO DRONE-ENABLED TERRORISM, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPACE LAW AND POLICY (IJSLP), 3 (1) OF 2025, PG. 84-88, APIS – 3920 – 0014 & ISSN – 2584-1955

Abstract

Drone-enabled terrorism forms one of the most complex technological and legal threats of the twenty-first century. Low-cost, easily modifiable, and increasingly available, UAVs blur the boundary between the regulation of airspace and armed conflict when transformed from their original civilian use to instruments of terror. Despite the growing security threat, the international legal framework, anchored within the Chicago Convention (1944) and Montreal Convention (1971), drafted originally for manned aviation, leaves the misuse of drones by non-state actors largely unregulated. This article examines the international regime governing drone terrorism through three analytical axes: (i) the inadequacy of existing legal instruments, (ii) the doctrinal and evidentiary challenges of attributing responsibility under the Articles on State Responsibility (2001), and (iii) a comparative assessment of Indian, United States, and ICAO regulatory models. Through doctrinal analysis and emerging state practice, this paper argues for an International Counter-Drone Protocol under ICAO and the United Nations that would institutionalize traceability, accountability, and cooperation while safeguarding human rights and civil liberties.

Keywords – Drone terrorism, international law, state responsibility, attribution, ICAO, sovereignty, drone, counter-drone governance, human rights, aviation security.