I am quite surprised we have not seen drones as instruments of terror yet.
Um... do you know how the US military uses drones?
New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
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Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#52It could be interesting that the 4-6 rotor configuration, range/time of around and hour and 50mi, and the 14,000ft+ performance strongly indicate a fuel-powered device, but that the night vision goggles couldn't see it. It didn't indicate if the NVGs were of the ambient-light-enhancing type or IR type. This probably tells us that the NVGs were the ambient-light-enhancing type as there would be very little ambient ref…
I thought gas didn't really work with quad/hexa/octorotors because gas motors can't cycle up and down as quickly and reliably as electric, and fine-tuned control of rotor speed is essential to how a quadrotor works EDIT: nope I'm stupid
A fuel powered drone uses collective pitch propellers. The blades all spin at fixed RPM but the angle of the blades on each propeller can be adjusted individually with a servo. It actually far outperforms electric motors in maneuverability.
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#53I am quite surprised we have not seen drones as instruments of terror yet.
Israelis have used them against protesting Palestinians with unidentified toxic gases.
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#54> they believed the drone was highly unlikely to be battery-powered based on the altitude, distance, and speed at which it flew Does that mean it's gasoline powered? Do we have many details on gas powered drones ? i.e. the kind of range, altitude and speed they can achieve?
Several hobbyists have built them so I’m sure that commercial versions exist. They can’t really do any better than electric in altitude and speed (electric drones can get to 14,000 feet despite the article) but their endurance is measured in hours
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why would you need an experimental drone to do that when you can use satellite photos?
You want to test your ability to get physical payloads in place, e.g. in the future the drone could carry a bomb or something else clever (listening devices? Dropping gallium on aluminum airplanes? Etc) You want low angle shots? You're not well funded enough to get good satellite photos?
All three of your points make sense, but for me the last point really resonates.
No need for a space program, or going through someone that does.
Just acquire drone > use drone.
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#56I am quite surprised we have not seen drones as instruments of terror yet.
Yeah, they're supposed to shoot and bomb other people only.
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#57Is there any conclusion to reach here (assuming this report is correct) besides a hostile entity scouting U.S. infrastructure? See also: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/drones-swarmed-u-s-wars...
Why would you need an experimental drone to do that when you can use satellite photos?
US spy satellites have a maximum resolution of 5-10 cm. A drone close to the ground can do better.
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanocallaghan/2019/09/01/t...]
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#58We have reached the tech level where individuals or a small group of enthusiasts can compete in the nation state arena. This is within that realm.
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#59I am quite surprised we have not seen drones as instruments of terror yet.
This is a handy reference to the impacts of drones being used as instruments of terror: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_from_U.S._...
Re: New Details Emerge on the “Highly Modified Drone” That Outran Police Helicopters
#60My money is on a foreign hostile entity, but not for a scouting operation, this is an exercise in deterrence. This is someone who wanted to let the US know that they are capable of getting a high-end drone into the country and launch it near important civilian and military infrastructure. Which is also why they would affix it with a bright LED light, they wanted to get noticed and then show off its capabilities.
It might sound counter-intuitive to outright tell your enemy what you are capable of, but that's exactly how deterrence works. Winning a war is good, but it's better to convince your opponent that they shouldn't start a fight in the first place. Which means your opponent needs to have some understanding of what you are capable of. If they don't, if you develop significant capabilities but keep them secret, your opponent may initiate hostilities with you, under the mistaken assumption that they could win. You don't give them everything, but you give them enough to make them concerned, and even better make them over estimate the size and scale of the threat. Done right, you can get an adversary to devote far more resources to counter your threat than you put into it, or more than is warranted.