Spread of Small Kamikaze Drones Will Change Ground Warfare as Profoundly as the Machine Gun Did
December 7th, 2021Via: NBC:
A revolution in unmanned aerial vehicles is unfolding, and the U.S. has lost its monopoly on the technology.
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Some experts believe the spread of the semi-autonomous weapons will change ground warfare as profoundly as the machine gun did.
They can leapfrog traditional defenses to strike infantry troops anywhere on the battlefield, and they cost just $6,000 apiece, compared to $150,000 for the Hellfire missile typically fired by Predator or Reaper drones.
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Dubbed kamikaze, suicide or killer drones, these unmanned aircraft don’t fire missiles — they are the missiles. But unlike typical missiles, they can circle above a target, wait for the ideal moment and strike with incredible precision.
The U.S. military couldn’t have fought the way it did in Iraq or Afghanistan if the enemy had had killer drones. The next battlefield opponent is likely to have them. And terrorists will eventually get them, too — a possibility that has homeland security officials scrambling to find a solution, given that there is no surefire defense against them.
