News Analysis A few weeks ago, China made headlines when it tested a hypersonic glide vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. This test also revealed that China might be trying to develop a “fractional orbital bombardment” capability. These capabilities, if combined, means that China could acquire the capacity to negate or overwhelm the United States’ nuclear early-warning and missile-defense systems. The prospect of a nuclear-armed drone is disturbing. However, China is already a global leader in a number of other kinds of dangerous unmanned systems. Militaries around the world rely on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to conduct a multitude of tasks, usually those deemed too “dull, dirty, or dangerous” for manned missions. Most UAVs carry out routine reconnaissance, but they also act as decoys, serve as communication relays, and or even conduct electronic warfare (jamming). Increasingly, however, militaries are seeing the appeal of armed drones—that is, UAVs capable of …