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> Suicide drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) furnished with explosives, which cause the drone to detonate upon impact with another object. Don't we alr

> Suicide drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) furnished with explosives, which cause the drone to detonate upon impact with another object. Don't we already have a word for this: missle?

defrost 4y ago
China recently launched an autonomous drone "carrier" that can deploy and recharge air and sea drone swarms .. 60+ flying and speedboating idependant objects that can criss cross, confound, change course, and shepard the one or several bombs to target. This is somewhat more than just "a missile". [1] https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/31/china-mothership-drone-swarms/ https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/31/china-mothership-d... ( Damn, I had the youtube of their sea demo bookmarked but not archived .. and now it's taken down )
- kragen 4y ago
  Yeah, that's 60+ missiles. That's terrible that it's been taken down; now with LiveLeak gone there's noplace to find it, is there?
recycledmatt 4y ago
The V2 characterization as a drone in ww2 also made me think the same thing.
- MichaelCollins 4y ago
  The V-1. The V-1 was a cruise missile with a pulsejet engine. The V-2 was a ballistic missile with a rocket engine.
chii 4y ago
the one distinguishing difference is loitering capability of a drone. most missiles are not capable of loitering today. But i guess if missiles of tomorrow start getting such capabilities, then the line between a drone and a missile might blur even more.
- MichaelCollins 4y ago
  Modern tomahawk cruise missiles can loiter, with two hours total flight time (some of which is spent getting to the area.)
- DiggyJohnson 4y ago
  Drone guidance and maintenance is also much more accessible than missile guidance and maintenance - I would imagine.
- asdff 4y ago
  Is loitering significant when you can park a ship or an AC130 nearby?
  - scottLobster 4y ago
    Relative stealth, cost plus response time? Imagine a soldier designating a target and one drone of the loitering swarm automatically locks on and suicides into it, no human interaction required. Also would be a lot cheaper than maintaining a ship or AC130 on station.
    - asdff 4y ago
      Can't you already send a missile from thousands of miles away in mere minutes though? That way, your "loitering" swarm in this case (really just a missile silo) can be maintained in an area that is more secure than overhead of the enemy at all times where it could potentially be engaged before you use it to designate targets.
      - scottLobster 4y ago
        Sure, but sometimes the bad guys move within minutes, and missiles are terribly expensive. I'm thinking more on a tactical level, like a swarm of super long range, relatively cheap on-demand precision hand grenades that the soldiers wouldn't have to carry, could strike targets at a distance in seconds due to locality, and could fly around corners and through windows if necessary. And the unused drones can potentially be retrieved when the engagement is complete. Of course if the enemy has technological countermeasures to such a thing then it becomes a different issue, but you can say that about any technology.
Teever 4y ago
There are a multitude of form factors and a drone can take that aren't that of a missile. Quadcopters are a very good example. Blimps are another.
Aeolun 4y ago
Missile generally seems to imply a specific form of propulsion.
- MichaelCollins 4y ago
  Rocket engine, turbojet, pulsejet, ramjet, scramjet.. I don't think missile implies a form of propulsion. Before WW2, both America and the UK experimented with propeller powered cruise missiles too.
  - bee_rider 4y ago
    Bows, slings, and hands can also be used to propel missiles.
MichaelCollins 4y ago
Yes. And generally speaking, the term 'drone' is dumb and should be avoided because everybody gets weird ideas about what it means. It started as a pun, applied to a radio controlled aircraft rigged as a gunnery target, designed to fly once before dying like a drone bee. In just about any case where you might say "drone", there is a more precise and self-explanatory term you could use instead. For instance > unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
- Kaibeezy 4y ago
  “Drone” is a perfect name for these wee, buzzy, soulless, robotic horrors… Thanks to its big eyes, a drone spots a queen in the melee. It zeroes in and grabs her. Mating is completed in less than 5 seconds, during which the drone’s endophallus is turned inside out into the queen and inflated by haemolymph under high pressure. As haemolymph rushes into his endophallus, the drone loses control of his body and falls back, unable to move. Ejaculation happens at such speed and force that it can be heard by people as a ‘popping’ sound. Alas, these amorous moves will not end well for the lucky suitor. His endophallus breaks off, leaving its extremity inside the queen. The drone dies shortly after. https://scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2020/09/21/drones-the-derided-and-suffering-warriors/ https://scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2020/09/21/drones-...
kragen 4y ago
Yup, my grandfather worked on autonomous suicide drones back in the 01950s.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
sliken 4y ago
Drones normally have wings, or quad (or more) rotors. Powered by batteries or gas, fly rather slowly, can loiter, can collect intelligence, and have a human in the loop for target selection. Missiles typically have zero or minimal wings, powered by a rocket or at least a turbine, fly quickly (500 mph and up), can't loiter, can't collect intelligence, and generally don't have a human in the loop after being fired. There's a little overlap, but not that much.

> Suicide drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) furnished with explosives, which cause the drone to detonate upon impact with another object. Don't we already have a word for this: missle?

defrost 4y ago

China recently launched an autonomous drone "carrier" that can deploy and recharge air and sea drone swarms .. 60+ flying and speedboating idependant objects that can criss cross, confound, change course, and shepard the one or several bombs to target. This is somewhat more than just "a missile". [1] https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/31/china-mothership-drone-swarms/ https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/05/31/china-mothership-d... ( Damn, I had the youtube of their sea demo bookmarked but not archived .. and now it's taken down )

kragen 4y ago
Yeah, that's 60+ missiles. That's terrible that it's been taken down; now with LiveLeak gone there's noplace to find it, is there?

recycledmatt 4y ago

The V2 characterization as a drone in ww2 also made me think the same thing.

MichaelCollins 4y ago
The V-1. The V-1 was a cruise missile with a pulsejet engine. The V-2 was a ballistic missile with a rocket engine.

chii 4y ago

the one distinguishing difference is loitering capability of a drone. most missiles are not capable of loitering today. But i guess if missiles of tomorrow start getting such capabilities, then the line between a drone and a missile might blur even more.

MichaelCollins 4y ago
Modern tomahawk cruise missiles can loiter, with two hours total flight time (some of which is spent getting to the area.)
DiggyJohnson 4y ago
Drone guidance and maintenance is also much more accessible than missile guidance and maintenance - I would imagine.
asdff 4y ago
Is loitering significant when you can park a ship or an AC130 nearby?
- scottLobster 4y ago
  Relative stealth, cost plus response time? Imagine a soldier designating a target and one drone of the loitering swarm automatically locks on and suicides into it, no human interaction required. Also would be a lot cheaper than maintaining a ship or AC130 on station.
  - asdff 4y ago
    Can't you already send a missile from thousands of miles away in mere minutes though? That way, your "loitering" swarm in this case (really just a missile silo) can be maintained in an area that is more secure than overhead of the enemy at all times where it could potentially be engaged before you use it to designate targets.
    - scottLobster 4y ago
      Sure, but sometimes the bad guys move within minutes, and missiles are terribly expensive. I'm thinking more on a tactical level, like a swarm of super long range, relatively cheap on-demand precision hand grenades that the soldiers wouldn't have to carry, could strike targets at a distance in seconds due to locality, and could fly around corners and through windows if necessary. And the unused drones can potentially be retrieved when the engagement is complete. Of course if the enemy has technological countermeasures to such a thing then it becomes a different issue, but you can say that about any technology.

Teever 4y ago

There are a multitude of form factors and a drone can take that aren't that of a missile. Quadcopters are a very good example. Blimps are another.

Aeolun 4y ago

Missile generally seems to imply a specific form of propulsion.

MichaelCollins 4y ago
Rocket engine, turbojet, pulsejet, ramjet, scramjet.. I don't think missile implies a form of propulsion. Before WW2, both America and the UK experimented with propeller powered cruise missiles too.
- bee_rider 4y ago
  Bows, slings, and hands can also be used to propel missiles.

MichaelCollins 4y ago

Yes. And generally speaking, the term 'drone' is dumb and should be avoided because everybody gets weird ideas about what it means. It started as a pun, applied to a radio controlled aircraft rigged as a gunnery target, designed to fly once before dying like a drone bee. In just about any case where you might say "drone", there is a more precise and self-explanatory term you could use instead. For instance > unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

Kaibeezy 4y ago
“Drone” is a perfect name for these wee, buzzy, soulless, robotic horrors… Thanks to its big eyes, a drone spots a queen in the melee. It zeroes in and grabs her. Mating is completed in less than 5 seconds, during which the drone’s endophallus is turned inside out into the queen and inflated by haemolymph under high pressure. As haemolymph rushes into his endophallus, the drone loses control of his body and falls back, unable to move. Ejaculation happens at such speed and force that it can be heard by people as a ‘popping’ sound. Alas, these amorous moves will not end well for the lucky suitor. His endophallus breaks off, leaving its extremity inside the queen. The drone dies shortly after. https://scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2020/09/21/drones-the-derided-and-suffering-warriors/ https://scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2020/09/21/drones-...

kragen 4y ago

Yup, my grandfather worked on autonomous suicide drones back in the 01950s.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

sliken 4y ago

Drones normally have wings, or quad (or more) rotors. Powered by batteries or gas, fly rather slowly, can loiter, can collect intelligence, and have a human in the loop for target selection. Missiles typically have zero or minimal wings, powered by a rocket or at least a turbine, fly quickly (500 mph and up), can't loiter, can't collect intelligence, and generally don't have a human in the loop after being fired. There's a little overlap, but not that much.