Comments on: As usual, nobody liked a smart robot

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 06:31:58 +0000

The real answer is that manned airplanes are show horses in the age of Jeeps, and the nuclear umbrella means that combat efficacy doesn’t matter very much. This was less clear when they were still developing new airplanes but is more clear now that they are literally flying flying relics.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 06:27:31 +0000

“When the Chinese downed their first Fire Fly in 1964…”

To bury the lede…

By: Alex J.

Alex J. — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:27:45 +0000

If those drones had a TV feed (as opposed to film cameras) they would’ve been useful for visually identifying BVR targets for F-14s as often required by ROE.

Per McChuck:
MGM-157 EFOGM
AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS)

There was a laser guided Zuni rocket that got cancelled as well.

By: McChuck

McChuck — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:03:42 +0000

In 1986, I saw a 60 Minutes episode about an anti-tank missile guided by a television camera. It had a five mile range, and could also shoot down helicopters. Problem was, the Army didn’t ask for it, it wasn’t made by the big defense contractors, and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg. It was made by two Soldiers in their off time, using spare parts that were readily available. Congress ordered the Army to adopt it, but they slow rolled acquisitions for the next 20 years and ignored it.

Fast forward to just a few years ago. Several Soldiers added inexpensive, off-the-shelf laser seekers to the cheap rockets used by helicopters. This increased their accuracy and utility tremendously, at little expense. Again, the Pentagon killed the project and chastised the Soldiers who made them look bad.

You could procure several thousand drones at $1,000 apiece for the cost of a single new tank. This is why the Army won’t buy modern combat drones.