The Obama administration is opening the door for US military drone makers to sell their unmanned killing machines overseas.

“The new export policy is part of a broader United States UAS [unmanned aircraft system] policy review which includes plans to work with other countries to shape international standards for the sale, transfer, and subsequent use of military UAS," the State Department said in a statement.

The decision, controversial in that drones lower the bar for using lethal force and often kill unintended targets, is expected to be a financial bonanza of sorts for the US defense industry, especially in California. Global governments were already expected to spend some $91 billion over the next decade on the technology.

Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin assemble drones in Los Angeles County. In San Diego County, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems constructs the Predator and Reaper drones that have been at the core of the US government’s overseas drone killing program. The defense industry has complained that it was losing sales to industry based in nations without strict controls.



Great Britain is the only nation now buying American-made armed drones.

The government said sales to other countries will be made on a "case-by-case" basis. And notwithstanding allegations that thousands of innocents have died in the US drone war on terror, purchasing nations must abide by "international humanitarian law," the State Department said.

According to the State Department:

As the most active user of military UAS, and as an increasing number of nations are acquiring and employing UASs to support a range of missions, the United States has an interest in ensuring that these systems are used lawfully and responsibly. Accordingly, under the new UAS export policy, the United States will require recipients of U.S.-origin military UAS to agree to the following principles guiding proper use before the United States will authorize any sales or transfers of military UASs: Recipients are to use these systems in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable;

Armed and other advanced UAS are to be used in operations involving the use of force only when there is a lawful basis for use of force under international law, such as national self-defense;

Recipients are not to use military UAS to conduct unlawful surveillance or use unlawful force against their domestic populations; and

As appropriate, recipients shall provide UAS operators technical and doctrinal training on the use of these systems to reduce the risk of unintended injury or damage.

Since 1987, the Missile Technology Control Regime has largely prohibited the drone sales. It came at the end of the Cold War in a bid to stop the flow of weapons of mass destruction.

The sale of drones would be added to the US already selling fighter jets, ship-mounted weapons and even bunker-busting bombs.