Units are barely being integrated with shotguns and skeet range training.

MP’s/LE contractors aren’t going to take pot shots at drones over a cantonment area.


This proves the US doesn’t have the jamming technology as Eastern Europe or incompetence from the instillation. The later being my opinion.

ROE might have changed under this admin. Look at how they allowed that ccp balloon to capture intel before shooting it down.

The issue is with the "Mothership" just as a start: Impossible.

Secondly, getting drones off another aircraft is hard and they do not return to the aircraft that launched them as a matter of course, even in our military. I have decades of experience in this area.

Third, endurance. Small drones, especially VTOL, have some but often not tactically significant endurance. They will land or crash before returning to the MS.

The company I owned and just sold my shares in did all the initial CF tooling and layups for the production version of Vanilla: https://vanillaunmanned.com/

I know the owner very well. This stuff is hard and, trust me, nav lights not required:cool:

I am trying to not be strident, but "drones" are not magic, they fly and are burdened with all that entails.

The fact that these things have lights on while buzzing makes it difficult for me to think that they are a foreign adversary. As Seahawk noted above, "nav lights not required" for modern hi tech drones.

There are 9 drones that patrol the CA, AZ & TX border regions on a regular basis.
Been doing so since 2016.

"Border control authorities, vigilantes, and criminal organizations use drones to track
movement across the US-Mexican border"

https://www.albany.edu/~rk289758/documents/Koslowski&Schulzke_Drones_along_Borders_ISA.pdf

Now over central Pa as well.
I suspect our gov't is lying to us (imagine that!) - they can't not have a REALLY good idea as to what this is.

They have nav lights b/c a collision w/ civilian aircraft would be an international/domestic/intergalactic whatever incident.

Odds are they're ours...

An old friend of mine was the lead UAS guy for Predators on the border...he worked for me and then transitioned to his job in DC when he retired from the military.

I deployed hundreds and hundreds of drones in the War on Whatever...from Raven A/B's, Pioneer, Shadow, Scan Eagles, BAMS Demonstrators, Ducted Fans, a bunch of Spec Op stuff, etc...starting in 2004/5.

The Genie is out of the bottle but the Genie needs care and feeding just like every flying object.

Here is an old screen shot of a design we did for the Army. They are working the next iteration and we are still in the hunt:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1734036623.jpg

The essential part of the CONOP is VTOL drones have a very limited range and endurance profile...the Army, like all services, love the concept of "Swarm" but how to you get a very limited air vehicle to the fight at distance.

We figured it out.

The need a ride and they are not coming back.

This is now a Brave Old World folks.

Also, Aerostats have been in use for many, many decades along the border and are extremely effective but limited in certain specific capabilities.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1734036840.jpg

This is the kind of stuff I wanted to do when I accepted the job in aerospace. I ended up in an office writing reports. When I had to argue with a supplier about the specs of a hydraulic pump I knew it was "f-this" time. I'm glad you get to work in the fun part of aerospace, Paul.

They are all idiots on all matters. We just notice it when the subject is in our (forgive me for using this awful word) wheelhouse.

We live on the edge of the town line with a big field behind us. It would take all the control I can muster (and possibly more than) to NOT shoot such a thing down if it were inside about 50 yards.

[QUOTE=3rd_gear_Ted;12373117]There are 9 drones that patrol the CA, AZ & TX border regions on a regular basis.
Been doing so since 2016.


Good batteries...must be Duracells.:D



.

[QUOTE=stevej37;12373312]
I’m willing to bet my left nut that the batteries made on those drones came from China.

"something" was spotted over my neighborhood last night. Given my proximity to Picatinny I find it hard to understand why it would be permitted IF it was in fact unauthorized.

Drones over NJ
 

It is all over the press, and quite fascinating. What are these drones buzzing the night skies of Morris county? There are 3 possibilities, ranked in order of probability:

1- US military secret technology being tested
2- Foes, like Iran or China
3- Alien origin

The government says they have no clue, yet does nothing about them. I would assume if they really wanted to find out, they would shoot one down or follow it to its base. Therefore, I conclude that option #1 is the correct answer. Will be fun to update this thread as more gets to be known about this phenomenon.

https://www.thefp.com/p/is-a-foreign-adversary-flying-drones

I live three miles from Picatinny Arsenal and there were drones in the sky last night. If they were a threat I'm certain Picatinny would have splashed them.

Maybe.

But then, recall our non-response to the Chinese balloons…

"We don't know what they are, but we do know they aren't Iranian nor are they dangerous"

Riiiiiiiight....

"Cannot resolve circular reference"

We know one thing for certain.

We are being lied to.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1734097938.jpg