Just toss them out the door?

Looks like a toy, but …

“The US Army is looking to quickly develop and deploy new “mini-drones” able to launch from helicopters to find enemy targets, operate under enemy fire, and send instant target coordinates and key surveillance details.

It is referred to as the “Air-Launched Effects” and these drones are intended to operate in a range of different capacities to include of course Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance as well as counter-drone intercept.

They could even operate themselves as mini-drone explosive weapons in an attack mission.”

Comment: Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) are clearly the name of the game in military R&D and procurement. The airborne variety are a game changer for countries or causes that lack an air force. I was in a government run war game simulation before 2015, when I asked to be debriefed from all clearances, in which the question being examined was the effect that the introduction of ROVs would have on a civil war in a desert environment. The effect was profound. It sounds like the results of the game were taken seriously. pl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raytheon_Coyote

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12 Responses to Just toss them out the door?

  1. TTG says:

    This is more than just drones or drone swarms. Large numbers of several different types of drones will be driven by AI, connected into a hive mind by AI and capable of autonomous action by that AI. The first two novels of Daniel Suarez, Daemon and Freedom™, describe that world. I found those books and that world fascinating.

    These drones are supposed to be for confronting enemies like Russia and China, but I think they’ll be more effective against enemies like jihadis. Countermeasures to these drones are also being developed. We have the THOR right now and Mjolnir soon using microwaves to counteract approaching drone swarms.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjHGxKb6W1c&t=161s

    https://afresearchlab.com/news/afrls-drone-killer-thor-will-welcome-new-drone-hammer/

    If we have these, I bet both Russia and China have so something similar or just as good. Jihadis don’t have this yet. Aerial drones could be supplemented by creeping and crawling drones with auditory sensors as well as visual, thermal and electromagnetic sensors. I know AI consisting of thousands of agents existing in miniscule amounts of code can understand conversations, independent of the language spoken and act on that understanding. I’ve seen that work. This can make life very difficult and short for those jihadis.

    Another point is that our over the horizon capabilities are not limited to drones and satellites. We have people fully capable of operating in denied areas over long periods of time. I consider these people to be an important part of our over the horizon capabilities. We just need the institutional balls to use them.

  2. walrus says:

    My stepson demonstrated his DJI mini drone to me the other day – 10 km range, incredibly manoeuvrable, fantastic camera and it’s almost silent and fits on a small dinner plate unfolded – and this is maybe five year. old Chinese commercial quality!

    IMO, there is nowhere to hide from these things and all they need now is a stinger.

    • Pat Lang says:

      walrus

      They can be armed for a “suicide” attack in a swarm. As TTG observed AI generates a hive mind which when given instructions sets out to accomplish the mission.

  3. Condotta says:

    While I was at Glynco for two weeks they demonstrated a UAV IED attack on an armored moving SUV using magnets, off the shelf UAV, and a hand made EFP copper disk. The operator did it on the first try without any prior experience with drones. Very scary. This is now- not the future

  4. Fred says:

    They look like they could play havoc with a football game, or a political rally. What kind of range do those drones (in the captioned article) have?

  5. Deap says:

    Does Gen Milley get tossed out the door over this charge of treason against his CiC Trump in the final days of the Trump administration as reported in a new tell-all book.

    Who do you prefer to believe? Rick Grennell, or that little rat Vindeman. As much as I would like to believe this really happened, I will go with Grenell – who has earned my trust. Fake news.

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2021/09/14/new-reporting-shows-general-milley-engaged-in-a-coup-against-trump-n2595858?utm_source=thdailypmvip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=09/14/2021&bcid=d46b16b9a3a9a789ed277183aae59586&recip=28924487

    Good distraction while the AZ Audit works its way through the in-house review process – allegedly now in the hands of the AZ Senate Judiciary Committee.

  6. Razumov says:

    Boy are these going to be a nightmare when they proliferate down to the cartel and guerrilla level.

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