How conflict might look in 2066

This year's hot museum ticket in London is the Bayeaux Tapestry. On loan from France for the first time in 1,000 years, it depicts the famous victory of William the Conqueror at the 1066 Battle of Hastings.

A 'propaganda embroidery' is almost as antiquated an idea as the bows and arrows it depicts. During the 10 centuries that have passed, the nature of conflict has changed out of all recognition. So how will it change in the next four decades, and what kind of world might we have in 2066?

Headlines about AI and swarms of autonomous drones predict a terrifying future. HALO's research and development teams are already thinking about how we can use our 40 years of expertise to tackle a new potential nightmare: a legacy of thousands of explosives dropped by drones that have failed to reach their targets.

Indeed, we are witnessing this already in Ukraine, not far from where HALO had its headquarters in the Donbas before the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. In frontline towns such as Druzkhivka, just south of regional capital Kramatorsk, the battlefield is already defined by robots – some re-supplying troops on the ground and others flying overhead and targeting them.

The West is responding to events in Ukraine by pouring hundreds of billions of pounds into military capability. Some of that will fund traditional defence contractors but much will support smaller, technological start-ups seeking to emulate Ukraine's example. That may result in the widespread use of low-cost drones combined with autonomous swarm technology, which could place tens of thousands of explosive-laden drones into the air simultaneously.

Many will fail to find a target and crash unexploded. It's estimated that 70% of drones in current use over Ukraine fail to detonate.

A swarm system would pose a considerably deadly risk, extending far beyond those in its immediate sights. Civilians who return home after fighting will find a once familiar landscape not only ravaged by conflict but also carpeted with fragmented, unstable explosives.

HALO was founded to address the legacy of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. During the four decades since, we have pioneered new technologies to adapt to new forms of warfare and ever-increasing humanitarian crises.

Our AI-generated version of the Bayeaux Tapestry 2066 shows just a few examples of how we are currently using satellite technology, robotics and drones to locate and clear explosives and protect civilians. As warfare changes, we expect to evolve more of these technologies to inform our response. But our impact will remain as shown: safe farming, greater food security and lasting stability and peace – as symbolised by the dove in the top right corner.

History will continue to remember battles. But communities will remember what comes after them. Our job is to ensure that happens sooner rather than later.