API Documentation — ArtificialWeapons.com

Introduction

The ArtificialWeapons API provides structured access to our weapons systems database. The API serves JSON data that can be filtered, sorted, and integrated into research workflows, dashboards, and investment tools.

The database is updated on a weekly cadence. Each record contains technical specifications, AI integration status, operational deployment data, export restrictions, and risk classification tags derived from open-source intelligence analysis.

RESTRICTED

Full API access requires a Command tier subscription. Operator tier subscribers have read-only access to the base dataset via the member portal. Upgrade your subscription.

Authentication

The current API version uses a static JSON endpoint. No API key is required to fetch the dataset — access control is enforced at the subscriber portal level.

Future API versions will introduce token-based authentication tied to Command tier accounts. Rate limiting and per-token usage tracking will be enforced at that time.

NOTE

Authentication headers are not required for the current JSON endpoint. Direct URL access returns the full dataset. Abuse of direct access without a valid subscription violates our Terms of Service.

Base URL

All API requests target the following base URL.

Base URL

https://artificialweapons.com

Weapons Database

Primary endpoint for querying the complete weapons systems dataset.

GET /data/weapons_database.json Full dataset

Returns the complete weapons database as a JSON array. Each element represents one weapons system with full field coverage. The response is not paginated — the full dataset is returned on every request.

Query Parameters

The static JSON endpoint does not support server-side filtering. All filtering, sorting, and querying should be performed client-side after fetching the dataset. See code examples below for common patterns.

Response Codes

Code	Status	Description
200	OK	Dataset returned successfully.
304	Not Modified	Dataset unchanged since last fetch. Use ETag caching to reduce bandwidth.
403	Forbidden	Access restricted. Valid subscription required.
429	Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded. See rate limiting section.

Response Format

The API returns a JSON object with a top-level metadata block and a data array containing individual weapon system records.

JSON — Response Structure

{
  "meta": {
    "version": "2.1.0",
    "last_updated": "2026-03-24T00:00:00Z",
    "total_records": 2418,
    "schema_version": "v2"
  },
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "sys_0001",
      "name": "MQ-9 Reaper",
      "platform_type": "UAS",
      "country_of_origin": "USA",
      "manufacturer": "General Atomics",
      "operational_status": "active",
      "ai_integration_level": 3,
      "ai_capabilities": ["target_recognition", "autonomous_loiter"],
      "export_restricted": true,
      "export_classifications": ["ITAR", "EAR"],
      "deployment_regions": ["CENTCOM", "AFRICOM"],
      "unit_cost_usd": 32000000,
      "risk_tags": ["proliferation_risk", "dual_use"],
      "last_updated": "2026-03-01"
    }
  ]
}

Field Reference

Complete description of all fields returned in each weapons system record.

Field	Type	Description
id	string	Unique system identifier. Stable across dataset versions. Format: sys_XXXX.
name	string	Official designation of the weapons system or platform.
platform_type	string	Platform category. Values: UAS, UCAV, IFV, MBT, Artillery, Missile, EW, DE, Naval, Submarine, Cyber, Space.
country_of_origin	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code of the developing nation.
manufacturer	string	Primary contractor or state-owned enterprise responsible for production.
operational_status	string	Current deployment status. Values: concept, development, testing, active, retired.
ai_integration_level	integer	AI autonomy level on a 0-5 scale. 0 = none, 1 = decision support, 2 = supervised automation, 3 = conditional autonomy, 4 = high autonomy, 5 = full autonomy.
ai_capabilities	array<string>	Specific AI functions present in the system (e.g., target_recognition, swarm_coordination, route_planning).
export_restricted	boolean	Whether the system is subject to export control regimes.
export_classifications	array<string>	Applicable export control regimes (e.g., ITAR, EAR, EU Dual-Use, Wassenaar).
deployment_regions	array<string>	Known or reported geographic deployment zones using CCMD or regional designators.
unit_cost_usd	integer \| null	Approximate per-unit cost in USD. Null when classified or unavailable.
risk_tags	array<string>	Analyst-assigned risk classification tags (e.g., proliferation_risk, dual_use, active_conflict, sanctions_exposure).
last_updated	string (ISO 8601)	Date of last record update in YYYY-MM-DD format.

Python Examples

Common usage patterns for integrating the database into Python workflows.

Fetch and Filter by Platform Type

Python 3

import requests

# Fetch the full database
response = requests.get("https://artificialweapons.com/data/weapons_database.json")
response.raise_for_status()

db = response.json()
systems = db["data"]

# Filter: autonomous drone systems (UAS) with AI level >= 3
advanced_uas = [
    s for s in systems
    if s["platform_type"] == "UAS"
    and s["ai_integration_level"] >= 3
]

for system in advanced_uas:
    print(f"{system['name']} ({system['country_of_origin']}) — AI Level {system['ai_integration_level']}")

Export to CSV with Pandas

Python 3 — pandas

import requests
import pandas as pd

data = requests.get("https://artificialweapons.com/data/weapons_database.json").json()
df = pd.DataFrame(data["data"])

# Filter export-restricted systems with active deployment
restricted_active = df[
    (df["export_restricted"] == True) &
    (df["operational_status"] == "active")
]

restricted_active.to_csv("restricted_active_systems.csv", index=False)
print(f"Exported {len(restricted_active)} records.")

JavaScript Examples

Browser and Node.js usage patterns using the Fetch API.

Fetch and Filter by Country

JavaScript — Fetch API

const API_URL = 'https://artificialweapons.com/data/weapons_database.json';

async function getSystemsByCountry(countryCode) {
  const response = await fetch(API_URL);

  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`HTTP error: ${response.status}`);
  }

  const db = await response.json();

  return db.data.filter(
    system => system.country_of_origin === countryCode
  );
}

// Get all Chinese systems with AI integration
getSystemsByCountry('CHN')
  .then(systems => {
    const aiSystems = systems.filter(s => s.ai_integration_level > 0);
    console.log(`Found ${aiSystems.length} AI-integrated systems.`);
    console.table(aiSystems.map(s => ({
      name: s.name,
      type: s.platform_type,
      ai_level: s.ai_integration_level
    })));
  });

Search by Risk Tag

JavaScript — Node.js

const { default: fetch } = await import('node-fetch');

const searchByRiskTag = async (tag) => {
  const db = await (await fetch('https://artificialweapons.com/data/weapons_database.json')).json();

  return db.data.filter(s => s.risk_tags?.includes(tag));
};

const proliferationRisk = await searchByRiskTag('proliferation_risk');
console.log(`Proliferation risk systems: ${proliferationRisk.length}`);

Rate Limits

Rate limiting is not currently enforced on the static JSON endpoint. Future API versions will introduce per-token rate limiting.

UPCOMING

Planned rate limits: 60 requests per hour for Operator tier, unlimited for Command tier. Implement client-side caching to remain within limits when they are enforced. Respect Cache-Control headers and use ETag-based conditional requests.

Caching Recommendations

The database is updated weekly. We recommend caching the full response locally for at least 24 hours rather than fetching on every request. Store the ETag or Last-Modified header and use conditional GET requests to minimize bandwidth.

Access Tiers

API access levels vary by subscription tier.

Feature	Operator	Command
Database read access	Included	Included
Full field coverage	Partial	Full
Programmatic API access	Portal only	Direct API
Rate limit (future)	60 req / hour	Unlimited
Custom intel requests	Not included	Included
Analyst contact	Not included	Priority access

Upgrade to Command Tier