A decade ago , the United States had a virtual monopoly on drones . Not anymore . According to data compiled by the New America Foundation , more than 70 countries now own some type of drone , though just a small number of those nations possess armed drone aircraft . The explosion in drone technology promises to change the way nations conduct war and threatens to begin a new arms race as governments scramble to counterbalance their adversaries . Late last month , China announced that it would use surveillance drones to monitor a group of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan . In August 2010 , Iran unveiled what it claimed was its first armed drone . And on Tuesday , the country 's military chief , Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh , disclosed details of a new long-range drone that he said can fly 2,000 kilometers ( 1,250 miles ) , which puts Tel Aviv easily in range . Israel looks to Lebanon after drone shot down . But without an international framework governing the use of drone attacks , the United States is setting a dangerous precedent for other nations with its aggressive and secretive drone programs in Pakistan and Yemen , which are aimed at suspected members of al Qaeda and their allies . Just as the U.S. government justifies its drone strikes with the argument that it is at war with al Qaeda and its affiliates , one could imagine that India in the not too distant future might launch such attacks against suspected terrorists in Kashmir , or China might strike Uighur separatists in western China , or Iran might attack Baluchi nationalists along its border with Pakistan . This moment may almost be here . China took the United States by surprise in November 2010 at the Zhuhai Air Show , where it unveiled 25 drone models , some of which were outfitted with the capability to fire missiles . It remains unclear just how many of China 's drones are operational and how many of them are still in development , but China is intent on catching up with the United States ' rapidly expanding drone arsenal . When President George W. Bush declared a `` War on Terror '' 11 years ago , the Pentagon had fewer than 50 drones . Now , it has around 7,500 . Study : Drone strikes kill , maim and traumatize too many civilians . As Bush embarked on that war , the United States had never used armed drones in combat . The first U.S. armed drone attack , which appears to be the first such strike ever , took place in mid-November 2001 and killed the military commander of al Qaeda , Mohammed Atef , in Afghanistan . Since then , the CIA has used drones equipped with bombs and missiles hundreds of times to target suspected militants in Pakistan and Yemen . CNN Radio : Drone debate -- who can you trust ? Only the United States , United Kingdom and Israel are known to have launched drone strikes against their adversaries , although other members of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan , such as Australia , have `` borrowed '' drones from Israel for use in the war there . Drone technology is proliferating rapidly . A 2011 study estimated that there were around 680 active drone development programs run by governments , companies and research institutes around the world , compared with just 195 in 2005 . In 2010 , U.S.-based General Atomics received export licenses to sell unarmed versions of the Predator drone to Saudi Arabia , Egypt , Morocco and the United Arab Emirates . And in March , the U.S. government agreed to arm Italy 's six Reaper drones but rejected a request from Turkey to purchase armed Predator drones . An official in Turkey 's Defense Ministry said in July that Turkey planned to arm its own domestically produced drone , the Anka . Israel is the world 's largest exporter of drones and drone technology , and the state-owned Israeli Aerospace Industries has sold to countries as varied as Nigeria , Russia and Mexico . Building drones , particularly armed drones , takes sophisticated technology and specific weaponry , but governments are increasingly willing to invest the necessary time and money to either buy or develop them , as armed drones are increasingly seen as an integral part of modern warfare . Sweden , Greece , Switzerland , Spain , Italy and France are working on a joint project through state-owned aeronautical companies and are in the final stages of developing an advanced armed drone prototype called the Dassault nEURon , from which the France plans to derive armed drones for its air force . And Pakistani authorities have long tried to persuade the United States to give them armed Predator drones , while India owns an armed Israeli drone designed to detect and destroy enemy radar , though it does not yet have drones capable of striking other targets . The Teal Group , a defense consulting firm in Virginia , estimated in June that the global market for the research , development and procurement of armed drones will just about double in the next decade , from $ 6.6 billion to $ 11.4 billion . News : Drones expected to hunt for suspects in Libya attack . States are not alone in their quest for drones . Insurgent groups , too , are moving to acquire this technology . Last year , Libyan opposition forces trying to overthrow the dictator Moammar Gadhafi bought a sophisticated surveillance drone from a Canadian company for which they paid in the low six figures . You can even buy your own tiny drone on Amazon for $ 250 . ( And for an extra $ 3.99 , you can get next-day shipping . ) As drone technology becomes more widely accessible , it is only a matter of time before well-financed drug cartels acquire them . And you can imagine a day in the not too distant future where armed drones are used to settle personal vendettas . Given the relatively low costs of drones -- already far cheaper than the costs of a fighter jet and of training a fighter jet pilot -- armed drones will play a key role in future conflicts . Opinion : When are drone killings illegal ? While the drone industry thrives and more companies , research institutes and nations jump on board the drone bandwagon , the United States is setting a powerful international norm about the use of armed drones , which it uses for pre-emptive attacks against presumed terrorists in Pakistan and Yemen . It is these kinds of drone strikes that are controversial ; the use of drones in a conventional war is not much different than a manned aircraft that drops bombs or fires missiles . According to figures compiled by the New America Foundation , drone attacks aimed at suspected militants are estimated to have killed between 1,900 and 3,200 people in Pakistan over the past eight years . While there has been considerable discussion of the legality of such strikes in a number of U.S. law schools , there has been almost no substantive public discussion about drone attacks among policymakers at the international level . The time has come for some kind of international convention on the legal framework surrounding the uses of such weapons , which promise to shape the warfare of the future as much as tanks and bombers did during the 20th century . ( Fatima Mustafa and Farhad Peikar contributed to the research for this article . ) Follow @ CNNOpinion on Twitter .
Bergen : European monopoly on drones is long gone ; fewer than 50 nations have them . He says drones will change warfare and lead to a new arms race . China , Israel , U.S. , European nations are among those with drones , he says . Bergen : U.S. use of drones is setting a precedent without enough discussion of the legal issues .