View Full Version : US Army to fly 'kamikaze' drones
US Army to fly 'kamikaze' drones
Hey, their title not mine.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.b0b893fb04aee2445cb9d54b02462bd 7.2f1&show_article=1
Interesting idea though.......
"A miniature "kamikaze" drone designed to quietly hover in the sky before dive-bombing and slamming into a human target will soon be part of the US Army's arsenal, officials say.
Dubbed the "Switchblade," the robotic aircraft represents the latest attempt by the United States to refine how it takes out suspected militants.
Weighing less than two kilos, the drone is small enough to fit into a soldier's backpack and is launched from a tube, with wings quickly folding out as it soars into the air, according to manufacturer AeroVironment. ....................."
Another story with a picture
http://defense-update.com/20110902_switchblade.html
And Some "captured" video on you.tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhKixW5PHbw
The demo clip was pretty cheesey but hey, they're trying to sell a product not win an Oscar.
Roguish Lawyer
10-18-2011, 04:36
SOLD! Where can a get a few of them things? :p
Another $400K or so well spent...
I can see this as yet another opportunity for the Teleprompter-in-Chief to apologize to somebody for something...
Richard :munchin
Can we paint them to look like pigs?
Can we paint them to look like pigs?
Or a suppository?
Dozer523
10-18-2011, 09:07
I thought we had those in 5.56mm?
What a waste of money. I mean REALLY! Whatever happened to "seek out and destroy the enemy in ground combat, take and hold ground"?
Lets just give EVERYBODY an X Box. Better yet . . . sell live feeds and tell the 13 YOs its a game.
Are we going to need bumper stickers that read,
"Ban the drone. Make the world safe for conventional warfare."
bad, Bad, BAD idea.
mojaveman
10-18-2011, 09:49
Interesting.
Looks like some of the projects myself and some of the other neighborhood boys used to make with model rockets, fireworks, etc.
I could see where it could be used in special applications.
Curious about the propulsion source for the vehicle.
I vote for painting them to look like the yellow triangle bird......... not pigs......
I suppose they have a place, but really, as previously stated, what ever happened to 5.56 / 7.62 "kamikaze bullets"?
One step closer to "Enders game".
I doubt these will be used in lieu of 556/762. All this does is give end users the ability to engage something discovered during ISR reconnaisance, where as of now a raven UAV just gives situational awareness, i.e. "Hey, a guy with a mortar!"
Being able to smoke mortar guy when discovered, outside of small arms range, behind cover, or screened/concealed is value added.
I agree with the over the horizon capability, but we already have that with arty, pred, CAS, H-CAS, etc, etc. I am all about the newest / bestest "fun button" stuff, but I also know that the basics work really well. I think this is more a solution in search of a problem.
New useful capabilities or uses for equipment aren't always solutions to problems. History is full of equipment or new uses for it that were developed despite a lackluster response from the forces they were developed for. Few people in the 90's were saying they needed large remote controlled airplanes with cameras and missiles on them allocated down to the Brigade Level. Napoleon refused to use steam power because sailing vessels worked just fine...why change?
I'll reserve judgement until I have some experience with it.
Dozer523
10-19-2011, 07:54
. . . . All this does is give end users the ability to engage something discovered during ISR reconnaisance, . . . .
Nah . . . what it does is give "Recliner Maverick" a way to clock out early.
"Sure honey, I'll be home . . . you bet. . . what? you're wearing that? ohhhh . . . yeah! Hang on . . .
yeah, yeah, yes, yes! YES!!! that looks like one!
Sure it does! F@ I'm GOING IN!!! AYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQN1COeI75E&feature=fvwrel
Don't we have these already, Cruise Missiles. Somebody will make a lot of money off of another Govt contract. All this money to kill a threat that doesn't exist.
Dozer523
10-19-2011, 08:18
Don't we have these already, Cruise Missiles. Somebody will make a lot of money off of another Govt contract. All this money to kill a threat that doesn't exist. NO! these are different. They only cost TENs of millions of dollars.
greenberetTFS
10-19-2011, 08:48
I thought we had those in 5.56mm?
What a waste of money. I mean REALLY! Whatever happened to "seek out and destroy the enemy in ground combat, take and hold ground"?
Lets just give EVERYBODY an X Box. Better yet . . . sell live feeds and tell the 13 YOs its a game.
Are we going to need bumper stickers that read,
"Ban the drone. Make the world safe for conventional warfare."
bad, Bad, BAD idea.
Good morning Mr. Dozer,good to see your posting again......;) How are you and your son doing?........;) You removed your PM?........:eek:
Big Teddy
NO! these are different. They only cost TENs of millions of dollars.
OH! I stand corrected:D
This type of spending drives me nuts. Give
Utah Bob
10-19-2011, 13:12
Another $400K or so well spent...
.
Richard[/COLOR] :munchin
Thank God they're not Air Fporce kamikrazies. The cost would be quadruple at least.:rolleyes:
Heard most the parts come from Japan
mark46th
10-19-2011, 16:15
:eek: ;)
Heard most the parts come from Japan
Well...I suspect that if they had come from Germany, we'd have called it a V-1BK - smaller, second generation vergeltungswaffe - instead of a kamikaze. :rolleyes: :D
And so it goes...
Richard :munchin
Well...I suspect that if they had come from Germany, we'd have called it a V-1BK - smaller, second generation vergeltungswaffe - instead of a kamikaze.
H&K invents "Greek Seeking Missile", guaranteed to make kaput the nearest insurgent, (or Greek), then text an apology to next of kin..."