Re: Missiles, Torpedoes, Mines etc.
Why is any of this behavior less problematic than an autonomous UCV?
Cost.
Even the cheapest loitering munition costs so much that you have a very long line of humans with a reasonable number of stars on their shoulders approving its target and its use. Firing a P700 or any of its successors with swam mode requires presidential level fire authority - it is an anti-carrier group weapon and launching it as a swarm is asking for WW3.
Compared to that a drone fleet of any shape or form is a weapon to bombard AK47 armed bearded lunatics with no AA into the stone age. It is a cost optimization - something cheaper than normal aviation to run in a scenario where it is unopposed. It is specifically for countries which refuse for political reasons to buy appropriate aviation for that use case as such stuff exists - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer_EMB_314_Super_Tucano
The fire decision is taken by a junior officer and even non-comm officer in many armies. As a result you shoot it at anything, everything and earn the glory of having the drone painted as graffiti on the walls in various "non-compliant" countries. You also regularly incur civilian collateral damage.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
