無人機如何成了恐怖分子的殺人武器

With a wingspan of more than two metres, the X-8 commercial drone manufactured by China-based Skywalker Technologies is a favourite among hobbyists and aerial photography enthusiasts.

中國武漢思凱沃克科技有限公司(Skywalker Technologies)生產的、機翼翼展超過兩米的天行者X-8商用無人機，是業餘愛好者和航空攝影發燒友的最愛。

But the aircraft, which can be bought for just a few hundred dollars, is also perfect for military reconnaissance, artillery spotting and even aerial bombing, as soldiers fighting against Isis in Iraq and Syria have discovered.

但是，這款幾百美元就可買到的無人機也是軍事偵察、彈着觀測、甚至空中轟炸的完美設備，在伊拉克和敘利亞打擊伊斯蘭國(ISIS)的士兵已經在戰場上發現了這款無人機。

The first X-8 in a conflict zone was spotted in 2015 by Kurdish forces near the Mosul Dam in Iraq, while in October 2016 a bomb-laden X-8 killed two Kurdish soldiers and injured two French commandos in the same area, according to Sahan Research, a UK-based think-tank.

據英國智庫沙汗研究與發展組織(Sahan Research)提供的信息，2015年，庫爾德武裝在伊拉克摩蘇爾大壩(Mosul Dam)附近發現天行者X-8，這是首次在衝突地區發現該款無人機；2016年10月，一架載有炸彈的X-8在同一地區炸死了兩名庫爾德士兵，炸傷兩名法國突擊隊隊員。

China’s world-leading drone industry faces a burgeoning problem: its recreational aircraft, in addition to taking breathtaking clifftop selfies, are being used by terrorists to kill people.

全球領先的中國無人機行業遇上了一個新問題：本來是用於休閒娛樂的無人機，除了被用於令人屏息的懸崖自拍外，還成爲了恐怖分子殺人的工具。

As of the end of last year, 32 models from six countries had been identified in the Syria and Iraq conflict, according to research by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College in New York state.

紐約州巴德學院(Bard College)無人機研究中心的研究發現，截至去年年底，在敘利亞和伊拉克衝突中，共發現了由6個國家生產的32個型號的無人機。

While most are military drones such as the US Predator and its Chinese copy the Caihong CH-4, the conflict has seen the first widespread use of hobby drones as weapons — and almost all were Chinese brands.

雖然衝突中發現的無人機多數是軍用無人機，如美國的“捕食者”(Predator)無人機、及其中國仿造版“彩虹CH-4”無人機，但是，消遣用的無人機在此次衝突中首次被廣泛用作武器——而且此類無人機幾乎全部是中國品牌。

Their introduction marks a “milestone in the widespread proliferation of aerial surveillance platforms among insurgent and terrorist groups”, the center said.

消遣型無人機的採用，成爲了“叛亂分子和恐怖組織空中監視平臺大規模擴散的一個里程碑”，上述無人機研究中心說。

Isis revealed its weaponised drone capabilities in a January video. Since then, says Steve Stalinsky of Memri, a Middle East media think-tank, “we have been seeing almost daily Isis drone attacks, sometimes several times a day, against many different targets”.

ISIS在一月份發佈的一個視頻中展示了其武裝無人機的能力。從那時起，“我們幾乎每天都會看到ISIS利用無人機進行襲擊的消息，有時甚至每天幾次，針對多個不同目標，”中東媒體研究院(Memri)的史蒂文?斯坦林斯基(Steve Stalinsky)說。

Bombmaking workshops run by Isis have weaponised X-8s and other drones such as the Phantom, made by Shenzhen-based DJI, the world’s largest commercial dronemaker. Some hobby drones now boast formidable capabilities, with 7km ranges and payloads up to 40kg.

ISIS的炸彈製造工廠已經將天行者X-8和其他型號的無人機改裝成了武器，其中包括由全球最大的商用無人機制造公司深圳大疆創新科技有限公司(DJI)生產的大疆精靈(Phantom)。現在，一些消遣型無人機號稱具備強大性能，續航距離可達7公里，有效載荷可達40公斤。

The Kurdish government claims to have recorded at least two instances of Isis-controlled drones dropping hand grenades on its forces.

庫爾德自治政府聲稱，他們至少記錄了兩起ISIS控制的無人機向其武裝部隊投擲手榴彈的事件。

The founder of one Shenzhen-based armed drone manufacturer says that while military drones are strictly regulated, consumer drones are not — and unmanned aerial vehicles “can be retrofitted with one to two hand grenades very easily”.

深圳一家武裝無人機制造商的創始人說，軍用無人機受到嚴格監管，但民用無人機卻沒有，而且給無人駕駛飛行器“加裝一到兩個手榴彈簡單至極”。

Chinese consumer drones figure prominently in the arsenals of terror groups for the same reasons they have grabbed market share all over the world, according to Robert Garbett, chairman of Drone Major, a UK-based consultancy: “They are cheap and readily available.”

英國諮詢公司Drone Major的董事長羅伯特?加伯特(Robert Garbett)認爲，中國民用無人機在全球市場搶佔份額，同時在恐怖組織武器庫中佔據重要位置，都出於同一個原因。他說：“它們價格低廉，很容易買到。”

Chinese dronemakers say there is nothing they can do to prevent their wares from being hijacked. DJI laments the use of its drones in warfare as “deplorable” and an “abuse of the technology”.

中國的無人機制造商表示，對於自己的產品被恐怖分子“劫持”，他們無能爲力。大疆創新科技痛惜地表示，在戰場上使用其生產的無人機“應受到譴責”，“是對技術的濫用”。

“As a manufacturer, we are unable to control what people do with them similar to the manufacturers of pick-up trucks, cars or other items that have been weaponised in conflict zones,” the company told the Financial Times.

“與在衝突地區被用作武器的皮卡、小汽車和其他物品的製造商一樣，作爲無人機的生產商，我們也無法控制人們如何使用我們的產品，”大疆創新科技對英國《金融時報》說。

Skywalker Technologies likewise said it did not “have the power to require customers make no modifications to our products”.

思凱沃克科技公司同樣表示，其“無權要求客戶不得改裝我們的產品”。

Other manufacturers appeared to have no idea their products were being used for purposes outside of recreation.

其他製造商似乎對他們的產品被用於娛樂以外的目的並不知情。

“We have never heard of anything like this happening,” said Chen Minfang, a manager at Tensho, a Fujian-based toy aircraft and dronemaker. “We do not know anything about this. How would Isis be using our products? We only sell to Europe and North America. We sell toy planes. How could they arm toy planes?”

“我們從來沒聽說過這種事，”福建玩具飛機和無人機生產商天翔（廈門）模型有限公司(Tensho)的經理陳閩芳（音）說。“我們對此一無所知。ISIS怎麼會使用我們的產品？我們的產品只銷往歐洲和北美市場。我們賣的是玩具飛機。他們怎麼給玩具飛機裝配武器？”

A Tensho Skyhunter drone was shot down by Syrian forces in 2014, according to the Bard College report.

根據巴德學院的報告，敘利亞軍隊曾於2014年擊落過一架天翔生產的獵鷹(Skyhunter)無人機。

“It's not clear how these drones are ending up in Isis’s hands,” said Dan Gettinger, director of the Bard College Center. although he noted that “they are pretty available from a lot of resellers on the internet”.

“現在還不清楚這些無人機是如何落到ISIS手中的，”巴德學院無人機研究中心主任丹?蓋廷格(Dan Gettinger)說。不過，他指出，“網上有很多經銷商都在銷售無人機。”

Mr Gettinger said that although the drones had not had a strategic impact on fighting, they had been used effectively as propaganda tools, for example by filming attacks.

蓋廷格說，雖然無人機並未對戰鬥產生戰略性影響，但它們被有效地用作宣傳工具，例如，用於拍攝襲擊場面。

“They didn't change the battle in Mosul,” he said. “But they have a larger tactical implication — they compel US military and others to invest in counter-drone systems and improve their capabilities to defend against drones.”

“它們沒有改變摩蘇爾戰役的結果，”他說，“但是，它們具有較大的戰術性意義——迫使美國軍方和其他有關各方投資研發反無人機系統，並提升防禦無人機能力。”

Some militaries and police forces have been developing defences against weaponised commercial drones, including the use of microwaves and netting, while Dutch forces have even begun taking down rogue drones with eagles.

一些軍隊和警察機關已經在開發防禦武裝商用無人機的方法，包括用微波探測和張網捕捉。而荷蘭警方甚至已經開始用老鷹來擊落“流氓”無人機。

Meanwhile, Chinese dronemakers have been in discussions about promoting global standards for the industry.

與此同時，中國的無人機制造商一直在討論如何推動全球性行業標準。

DJI has taken the lead among Chinese dronemakers since 2013 in installing geofencing — which uses GPS to prevent drones from working in certain parts of the globe. However, experts say the technology is easy to bypass.

2013年，大疆創新科技率先在其無人機上安裝地理圍欄系統——利用全球定位系統(GPS)防止無人機在某些地理區域內工作，之後其他中國無人機制造商紛紛採取了這項技術。但是，專家指出，繞開這項技術的限制非常容易。

Another security measure would be to require buyers to identify themselves and to require drones to carry UDIMs, SIM card-like devices that are a form of digital licence. Chinese dronemakers are actively promoting this technology through the International Standards Organisation, where a committee is developing a global registry for drone users, Mr Garbett says.

另一個安全措施是要求買家進行身份驗證，並要求無人機攜帶UDIM——類似SIM卡的裝置，作爲無人機數字證書。中國的無人機制造商正在通過國際標準化組織(International Standards Organization)積極推廣這項技術。蓋廷格說，該組織的一個委員會正在開發一個全球性的無人機用戶登記系統。

couldn’t be tricked or hacked, but one would have to be very determined to do it.”

“中國人在這方面做了大量工作，他們非常希望建立一個能夠對無人機用戶進行問責的全球標準，”他說，“這並不是說（這種系統）必須無堅不摧，不能被欺騙或被黑客入侵，但必須要下定決心去建立這麼一個系統。”