Supporters claim UAVs allow the military to be more ethical. Pilots may be far away, but with the drone's cameras they have excellent vision. They can take their time to decide if the place/person they are studying actually is a military target and if bystanders can be protected by waiting.

Unlike weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons, military UAVs can strike with great accuracy and minimum risk to those making the attack.

UAV operators are bound by the same international rules of war as soldiers physically on the battlefield. They can also be prosecuted for failing to follow these rules.

Drone operators are not actually present, not in physical danger and not surrounded by the extra information that someone on the ground might use to add good judgement in the heat of a battle. UAV operators experience something closer to a video game, where there are no consequences for yourself if you make a mistake. Indeed, killing takes so little effort that there is a risk that the operators become numb and no longer feel the seriousness of what they do.