Did anyone else watch the linked video of the RC helicopter? It was amazing! I had no idea that those things were so powerful. The only ones I've ever seen are the ones at the mall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8t41avFuCc
The thought of a weaponized version of that is terrifying. A weaponized and non-human controlled version is straight up Cyberdyne level stuff...
Is it to do with the bulk properties of the materials not varying with scale? Or scaling with some power of length < 3?
If you tried to spec a full sized helicopter engine to make speed changes like those in the video would it tear itself apart?
Mass increases with the cube of scale, while structural material cross-section area increases only with the square of scale. So insects can have miniscule legs, while elephants have tree trunks, proportionally.
Imagine a dozen of these swarming an objective in Afghanistan, expiring their batteries over the course of a 30 minute attack, disappearing, and just when the combatants thought it was safe, another dozen show up because there is a drone acting as a recharging hive for dozens of these things and it's is doing slow circles around the objective.
That's sci-fi sounding and yet seemingly plausible.
We should not hide the uncomfortable truth.
Not that the machines care much about that, though.
'To avoid counting civilian deaths, Obama re-defined "militant" to mean "all military-age males in a strike zone"'
IOW, pretty easy to defend against with a shot gun, netting around your position, and so on. An air strike, on the other hand, not so much.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/teen-killed-remot...
http://nypost.com/2013/09/05/man-decapitated-by-remote-contr...
They're already incredibly dangerous. That trick helicopter just needs one uncontrolled bounce and hit a person and someone will have very very unpleasant day.
Quadricopters seem much easier to make safe afaict.
Overall such helicopters are not insanely dangerous, when operated incorrectly they can be hazardous, but that's also true of ordinary lawn mowers.
edit: One of the above articles explicitly says decapitation. If someone has a coroners report i'm all ears
Let us not sensationalize when we don't know the facts either, shall we?
> “I was playing at the park and we came into the clearing and we just saw a body on the floor,” said Maria Delgado, 13. “He was just decapitated — the whole top of his head was gone,”
People die every day. Being squeamish is no excuse for not reporting accurate and honest information.
> “I was playing at the park and we came into the clearing and we just saw a body on the floor,” said Maria Delgado, 13. “He was just decapitated — the whole top of his head was gone,”
> “I was playing at the park and we came into the clearing and we just saw a body on the floor,” said Maria Delgado, 13. “He was just decapitated — the whole top of his head was gone,”
So I think it's safe to say that a witness report from a 13-year-old who misuses the word "decapitation" doesn't make for a good source.
However, that helicopter seems ideal for antipersonnel rapid assault. Add an ounce of C4 and how could you defend against it?
If you're talking about asymmetric forces, then it's a different ballgame, but I'm still not convinced that there aren't innovative defenses. I saw a game show (of sorts) some time ago where engineers competed to develop a solution to a problem given a very limited set of resources. Some of the ideas the contestants came up with blew my mind.
1: And I still don't think it would be all that hard for someone who is talented with a shotgun.
Its hard for an unalerted human to defend against a fast-moving strike drone flock. Against a civilian - no hope.
So what? It's hard for an unalerted human to defend against a fastpitch baseball to the head too. Because something is deadly doesn't make it practical.
My point is that this is a nonsensical threat (suicide drones) that will not be developed because there are so many effective, and much cheaper methods of neutralizing targets.
I'm not saying weaponized drones aren't a future threat. I'm saying that C4-strapped, wildly-aerobatic weaponized drones are Hollywood threats, not real world threats. The dumb alternatives (bullets, mortars, etc) are too effective and too inexpensive, and the weapons that are high-tech will use more sophisticated attack vectors (like what we're already seeing).
Interested in other attack vectors..what did you mean by that?
How is a drone swarm not human-attended in a way that is distinct from existing drone weapon systems? More specifically, what advantages does a drone swarm have over existing drone weapon systems?
I still think you're missing the reason why this is a non-starter. It's not that they're ineffective (although I'd argue that they are of limited effectiveness), it's that there are too many better alternatives.
> Anybody can afford them; its anonymous; it comes from above so is hard to anticipate.
Russian 50mm mortars are inexpensive and readily available on the arms market. You can drag it through mud, drop it, and shoot it with small arms, and it will still work.
It's anonymous, because the high trajectory allows you to fire from an enclosed position, then simply walk away when you're done; remember they're cheap and available.
When you fire a mortar, it travels a long distance and comes from above, so it's hard to anticipate.
Guerilla forces love mortars. They use them all the time. They get the job done.
The SciFi-fantasty drone swarm is far too cumbersome and expensive for guerrilla forces, and it's too much of a blunt instrument for 1st-world powers.
First-world powers don't need kamikaze drones, because they can field larger, more sophisticated drones that are mounted with more advanced sensors and traditional munitions. They can fire on many targets in succession with terribly effective weaponry like a 20mm cannon. They can fire from altitude where you don't even see them. They can fly in-theater, autonomously until the time that they're needed. They can return to base, be reloaded with cheap ammunition, then return to the theater of operation.
There are some very limited scenarios where the weapon system you're proposing makes sense, but it's a tiny niche. There are too many simpler, effective options to acheive the same result. The only thing this concept has going for it is the cool factor, which doesn't count for much.
Science-fiction? You just watched the video, and you dismiss it somehow as fantasy?
For instance, for assassination, intimidation, even spying (look in a 30th-floor window, relay audio and video) a rotored drone has no equal.
It'll be amusing to see the expression on your face the first time a quad-rotor drone peers in your window. "Hey! That can't be! It's impractical in the scenarios I've imagined!"
> However, that helicopter seems ideal for antipersonnel rapid assault. Add an ounce of C4 and how could you defend against it?
I asked some pretty pointed questions about that hypothetical, and you haven't offered any rebuttal. I've also tried to explore their utility from the viewpoint of a guerrilla soldiers and a nation state.
Yes, I believe that small drones will be utilized. Yes, I believe they will be weaponized. Yes, I believe we really should do something about it! I just don't think the small ones will be weaponized in the way you're suggesting (strap on an ounce of C4 and send them in swarms). That's all.
Actually...
EDIT: Also, according to witnesses, the top of his head was 'gone', so while not decapitated I guess, it was basically the same (if not worse).
At that point (& cost) there are cheaper, more effective (what a cold term) and just down right more terrifying ways, to induce terror.
The small UAVs are destined mainly for aerial photography; they are awesome at that, no question.
... and I couldn't help but think, if a life-size helicopter were even capable of such maneuvers, its human occupants would likely die from the G forces.
Clearly such maneuvers seem only possible in an unmanned craft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force#Human_tolerance_of_g-fo...
I've only seen one live demo of a "pro" RC pilot doing his thing and saying it was awe-inspiring is a massive understatement. These are folks that eat, drink and breath RC and the amount of time and enthusiasm spent is really astonishing. If anyone can find a way around the laws of physics, it's those in the RC community.
spose if you see enough of them it wont look fake no more.