Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rd_gear_Ted
There are 9 drones that patrol the CA, AZ & TX border regions on a regular basis.
Been doing so since 2016.
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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:
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.
