• cawsby [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    Loitering munitions aka suicide drones are for when you don't have complete air superiority but can still fly something up for 10-15 minutes.

    The US has over a dozen loitering munition systems in public knowledge, but not all of them have deployed in actual combat.

    Turkey, Russia, Israel, and France make some as well.

    EDIT: Yep, Biden is going to give Ukraine Switchblade 300 600 drones. These can take out tanks in 20km 40 km+ radius.

    https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-asks-biden-admin-armed-234550236.html

    https://www.army-technology.com/projects/switchblade-tactical-missile-system/

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      These things scare the shit out of me. It's a hop-skip-jump from loitering anti-tank munitions to declaring a curfew then having a robot shoot anything with a thermal signature.

      • cawsby [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        They have those too. South Korea has automatic turrets along certain corridors in the DMZ.

      • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
        ·
        edit-2
        3 years ago

        Civilian police already do this, and they're a hell of a lot cheaper and more prolific than flying robots.

        Civilian police also have the advantage of a highly advanced processing system (ie, human brain) that allows them to distinguish between "poor black guy in a wheel chair who was coming right at me!!!" and "rich white lady in an SUV who can do whatever she likes because she pays my salary".