4 ms·

Yes. So would drones with crazy ranges, speeds and ability to stop threats.

thedudeabides5 5y ago
which is pretty much what's on order https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3147997/regional-stability-risk-chinas-growing-use-military-drones https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3147997/reg...
nosianu 5y ago
However, I would expect drones to be reusable and not of the self-destruct type like a cruise-missile, so that you get at least those drones back that were not shot down, and/or have them attack more than only a single target.
- willvarfar 5y ago
  Sweden has reusable torpedos. Most torpedos can be tested, but Sweden’s are routinely testable and that’s a very different capability. And as the torpedos become more autonomous, they become drones that can act like torpedos if the opportunity presents. Similar parallels can be drawn to the Iranian attack on Saudi refineries recently. The line between cruise missiles and drones blurred. So, yes, there is a move towards cruise missiles being chassis you can task with routine intelligence gathering, picket etc and even launching stand-off ordinance.
  - the-dude 5y ago
    If I remember correctly, most of the torpedos of the Western Allies of WWII failed. Did not work.
    - willvarfar 5y ago
      That is true, and there are great documentaries about how the US messed that up so badly. There was similar lack of faith in the British tigerfish in the 80s. But generally modern torpedos are expected to work effectively and are tested. Sweden is leading the way on the dronification of torpedos.
      - the-dude 5y ago
        WWII is such a rabbit hole. What if the Western Allies had working torpedos?
        rjsw 5y ago
        British torpedos worked fine [1], it was just the US ones that didn't. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taranto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taranto
threeseed 5y ago
We have drones with crazy range, speed and ability to stop threats. They are called UAVs and indeed cost millions each.
- imtringued 5y ago
  People don't seem to understand that we mount missiles on expensive jets because jets can travel thousands of miles and must not be shot down before they reach their destination. When people talk about how they can build lethal drones for $100 or something they assume that you can launch the weapon 3 miles away from the target and that the target has already been spotted. It's like saying that a million dollars can kill a million people because bullets cost less than $1. Making the bullet is the easy part. You still have to deliver it to the target.
  - numpad0 5y ago
    I can’t stand those “$100 lethal drone” people dumping same story over, starting off by describing rocket artillery and derailing into strategic bombing all while maintaining it’s all enabled by battery prop toy drones. WTF they have their brains for!

which is pretty much what's on order https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3147997/regional-stability-risk-chinas-growing-use-military-drones https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3147997/reg...

nosianu 5y ago

However, I would expect drones to be reusable and not of the self-destruct type like a cruise-missile, so that you get at least those drones back that were not shot down, and/or have them attack more than only a single target.

willvarfar 5y ago
Sweden has reusable torpedos. Most torpedos can be tested, but Sweden’s are routinely testable and that’s a very different capability. And as the torpedos become more autonomous, they become drones that can act like torpedos if the opportunity presents. Similar parallels can be drawn to the Iranian attack on Saudi refineries recently. The line between cruise missiles and drones blurred. So, yes, there is a move towards cruise missiles being chassis you can task with routine intelligence gathering, picket etc and even launching stand-off ordinance.
- the-dude 5y ago
  If I remember correctly, most of the torpedos of the Western Allies of WWII failed. Did not work.
  - willvarfar 5y ago
    That is true, and there are great documentaries about how the US messed that up so badly. There was similar lack of faith in the British tigerfish in the 80s. But generally modern torpedos are expected to work effectively and are tested. Sweden is leading the way on the dronification of torpedos.
    - the-dude 5y ago
      WWII is such a rabbit hole. What if the Western Allies had working torpedos?
      - rjsw 5y ago
        British torpedos worked fine [1], it was just the US ones that didn't. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taranto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taranto

threeseed 5y ago

We have drones with crazy range, speed and ability to stop threats. They are called UAVs and indeed cost millions each.

imtringued 5y ago
People don't seem to understand that we mount missiles on expensive jets because jets can travel thousands of miles and must not be shot down before they reach their destination. When people talk about how they can build lethal drones for $100 or something they assume that you can launch the weapon 3 miles away from the target and that the target has already been spotted. It's like saying that a million dollars can kill a million people because bullets cost less than $1. Making the bullet is the easy part. You still have to deliver it to the target.
- numpad0 5y ago
  I can’t stand those “$100 lethal drone” people dumping same story over, starting off by describing rocket artillery and derailing into strategic bombing all while maintaining it’s all enabled by battery prop toy drones. WTF they have their brains for!