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'Game of Drones' -- a Live War Game About Drone Combat Strategy (vice.com)
derekmead writes: A national security think tank just ran a two-day war game designed to explore the different ways that drones could be used for tactical and strategic effect in a conflict. The participants engaged in 12 different scenarios and "debated the efficacy of using drones as airborne improvised explosive devices, or as a way to harass an adversary’s air force."
The summit sought to address whether shooting down a drone might escalate tensions between countries or whether drones changed the character of a conflict by giving actors capabilities they didn't have before. As more and more state and non-state actors acquire drones, the war game illustrated how drones could be used in creative ways to further political or military objectives (PDF).
The summit sought to address whether shooting down a drone might escalate tensions between countries or whether drones changed the character of a conflict by giving actors capabilities they didn't have before. As more and more state and non-state actors acquire drones, the war game illustrated how drones could be used in creative ways to further political or military objectives (PDF).
'... by giving actors capabilities they didn't have before.'
Calling soldiers and warriors 'actors' would imply that these evil wars are little more than Hollywood special effects.
If only that were true.
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
Just wondering how much power is needed to send an EMP to drop a drone that's within a 100m.
>> debated the efficacy of using drones as airborne improvised explosive devices
congrats you invented the "missile"
An autonomous drone (ie. self guided with GPS) can be like a poor man's cruise missile.
Attach bombs to them and they could really screw up some facilities like a military airport. Or least use up a lot of Patriot or Iron Dome missiles.
On the plus side, an auto canon should be able to take them out easily.
On the terrorism front, that might be a real problem. A huge New Year celebration crowd? Send in the drones! Well, we can be thankful that the government has a massive surveillance project to attempt finding perpetrators before it gets to that point...
Which we've had for decades. Long before this scary "drone" word was invented, causing all sorts of concern among people who apparently don't understand technology. Or words.
did you actually think about what you were saying? the fact that anyone can easily purchase a missile now for such a low price is a huge fucking deal.
smartass.
One $150 million dollar F-35 airplane vs 100 explosive drones costing 1000$ each.
Too expensive? Fine! Build your own weather balloons, with explosives!
In fact, forget the F-35 and the explosives...
Fight for your bitcoins!
Even non-armed or non-weaponized drones could wreak havoc on civilian craft and military aircraft. With a swarm a drones, any plane on takeoff or landing is vulnerable. Helicopters as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... A swarm of small, low cost drones could act as an effective and hard to detect air shield.
A quad with a GoPro would allow ground forces to scout out prepared defenses (or facilitate patrolling the perimeter of said prepared defenses) without revealing their own location or risking casualties. This would be particularly useful in urban engagements where rooftops become essential overwatch/combat positions.
Imagine you are a small group of fighters facing an opponent that you know has occupied part of a city block but you don't know the exact location of their forces. You could send a couple guys down alleys hoping to draw fire, or you throw a small drone in the air checking rooftops for snipers or machine gun positions, vehicles hidden behind buildings, or troops gathering in courtyards. Suddenly you have a pretty good estimate of the limits of their positions and can possibly come up with a path that avoids most overwatch positions allowing you to get in close and possibly negating any firepower superiority they may have, or you might be able to identify their CP for direct attack (possibly a suicide bombing depending on motivations).
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
I saw the title and thought this was gonna be about drone combat for hobbyists, like Robot Wars, and I was like sweeeet!
As poorly alluded to in that Dustin Hoffman movie Outbreak, even a small thing in the path of a large, slow bomber will cause a huge cock-up
Delta V, angles, flight pathing, etc. A small drone with some range could wreak havok on incoming landing or attacking aircraft simply by getting in the way.
I'm sure that one important topic discussed was how the greater public may react to different methods of using drones compared to boots on the ground or planes in the air. Since you essentially have a piloted plane where the pilot can't die or be captured the public may view various uses with passive interest.Historically we have seen that the greater public in any society rebels or gets upset when they are directly affected. This affect may be financial or social. If a government might use a drone to further its objectives without bringing financial or social harm to a certain percentage of its citizens, then the use of drones would be warranted even if the use were not ethical.
The conversation the media needs to present then, to any given society, is to the question of the ethicality of drone use for each given scenario.
There is or can be built a machine that can simulate any physical object. -Church-Turing principle
No I don't want to play drone war how about global thermonuclear war?
It's by Cordwainer Smith
"War No. 81-Q" (rewritten version) (1961)
In a near future time period nation states resolve disputes via highly regulated spectator sport-like wars. These wars are fought over defined areas for defined periods of less than a week, between drone dirigibles controlled by expert pilots thousands of miles from the battlefield. Smith economically sets the scene and then tells us the history of one of these brief wars, in which the United States and Tibet fight over the ownership of an American-built solar power station in the Himalayas.
We need to come up with a new name for these airborne improvised explosive devices.
May I suggest Modular Independent Sacrificial Seeking Impact Lethal Explosive
I agree that cheap drones are very different in capabilities than a cruise missile. but GP made the stupid argument that this was the same, and rather than disagree with him, I thought I would point out that even if he were correct, it would still a big deal, not the la-de-da he was making it out to be.
Game of Drones
The FAA sends their regards.
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.