Drone signaling depends on the platform's capabilities

Does a drone's inability to answer signals determine how it is treated under international law?

It depends on the platform: large drones in international airspace can usually receive and sometimes answer signals, while smaller systems may have very different capabilities.

Signaling capacity varies across uncrewed aircraft. Platforms large enough to operate in international airspace can generally receive signals and, to an extent, respond through their systems. The broad term drone also includes smaller and differently equipped vehicles. A single legal conclusion cannot be drawn here from the absence of a crew or an assumed inability to communicate.