4 ms·

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 sta

by 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.

by chii 4y ago

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.