Chinese UAV/UCAV development
- Thread starter AssassinsMace
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Ditto
Doesn't matter. The main point is you have to get a warhead from point a to point b, without getting intercepted.
Hypersonic missile is one way. Micro drone is one way. ICBM is one way. Manned strike aircraft is another.
My opinion microdones can be slower but is as hard to intercept as a hypersonic missile, but much cheaper because it's reusable.
As long as you successfully get the warhead from point A to Point B. It doesn't matter what the delivery system is.
WW2 analogy
Large UCAVs/manned aircraft= battleship
Micro done = aircraft carrier
Before WW2, everyone was planning for major battleship vs battleship war. No one gave second thought to aircraft carriers and every Navy was playing the whose battleship is bigger game. But when WW2 happened, aircraft carriers were the assassins mace weapon that totally destroyed battleships.
Large UCAVs/manned aircraft= battleship
Micro done = aircraft carrier
Before WW2, everyone was planning for major battleship vs battleship war. No one gave second thought to aircraft carriers and every Navy was playing the whose battleship is bigger game. But when WW2 happened, aircraft carriers were the assassins mace weapon that totally destroyed battleships.
Except aircraft carrier outrange battleship just like large UAV outrange mini drone. Btw that's also how those turkish drone outranged and destroyed by large wing loong 2 despite outnumber them.
Well, TB-2 is not a micro done. I'm thinking more on the line of an Israeli Harop or Harpy. But that carries one missile. Essentially a loitering reusable cruise missile that flies in a. swarm
Micro drones can have the same range as large drones. It's more about building a very efficient engine that can compensate for less fuel carried. Maybe a ultra efficient and light weight miniture turboprop or turbine electric engine or if battery tech improves, an efficient electric motor.
Body of the drone can be made using composite materials and as little as metal as possible. The missile doesn't even have to be powered. It can have little wings which allows it to glide to the target. Once the drone drops its only missile, it flies back to base automatically to be rearmed.
Try to reduce as much as possible metal parts in the missile as well. The body can be made out of plastic. The only metal parts will probably b the electronics and the shaped charge.
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by78
General
What's your definition of "large" UCAVs?
Laughable over-simplifications.
My definition of a large UAV is something similar to the GJ-11 or X-47 or Reaper or Predator. They are trying to replicate the capabilities of a manned jet just without a pilot. I am proposing something that is not trying to replicate a manned aircraft, but rather a cruise missile. That can loiter and is reusable. but only carries one warhead or gliding bomb.
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S-400 or future radars could probably shoot down a stealth drone like the X-47. But could S-400 shoot down a drone swarm of 500 microdones? probably not. Drones are cheap, missiles are not. It's easy to increase the size of your drone swarm but it's not easy or cheap to set up more S-400s.
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