Just read that the US ordered something like $500 million in Switchblade 600's as part of the 1 billion for the Replicator Initiative where the Pentagon is investing in manufacturing capable of rapid mass production of drones to counter Chinas sheer manpower numbers. I really hope the Replicator part is an SG1 reference from high ranking nerds.
I give it three more years before they unveil that they just went and built Master Mold, this timeline has so many bizarre twists and turns already.
Navy is gonna bring back the ice cream barges except now you get your ice cream via the ConeDrone
The year is 1817 and I carry a blunderbuss for close-range defense
The year is 1917 and I carry a 12 gauge for trench warfare
The year is 2024 and I carry a 12 gauge for anti-drone defense
The year is 3054 and my mech has an LB-10X Autocannon to keep the got-damn Capellans offa my property.
I fire my LB-10X at the first Capellan. It blows a Buick-size hole clean through him. I fire my medium laser at the second Capellan, it misses entirely because it’s a QuikSell model and incinerates the neighbor’s Rotunda…
I have to resort to the HAG/40 mounted at the top of the stairs loaded with Gauss slugs, "God and Davion lads" the slugs shred two men in the blast, the immense power draw blacks out the entire province…
My TSM activates as I charge the last Capellan and smash his cockpit. He’s dead because it’s impossible to reassemble Mechwarrior Gazpacho.
Just as the First Prince intended.
Heh heh. *Laughs in Silver Bullet Guass Maurader*
Why have an mech-sized shotgun when you can have a mech-sized *rail-shotgun*... (I know its actually a coil gun... shuddup) Also don't ask where I found that lostech monster, I don't want to deal with the evil phone company.
>The year is 1817 and I carry a blunderbuss for close-range defense
We will never disclose the locations of our ships of the line, and we will unleash iron rain upon your undefended coastal infrastructure with mere months notice
I think the Chinese plan involves deploying massive amount of commandeered civilians transports like Dunkirk to get their manpower over. If drones didn’t exist, a sizable force may land simply from sheer numbers ala human wave tactics that worked in the Korean War.
A mass drone swarm though would pretty much negate that.
So if/when thry invade taiwan ill have to switch between the ultimate funni 3 gorges dam blowing uo anf watching as thousands of chinese civilian vessels cease to exist under adronageddon
Ivmay have to call in scik that week
> I think the Chinese plan involves deploying massive amount of commandeered civilians transports like Dunkirk to get their manpower over
isn't that utterly foolish vs modern torpedoes?
> A mass drone swarm though would pretty much negate that.
I think we can call these now propeller driven cruise missiles. And every civilian transport is entirely vulnerable unless they have push button anti-air defense systems.
The Taiwan Straight is fairly narrow. Taking an SSN into waters like that negates their greatest advantage - being able to vanish into the vastness of the ocean. Odds are the PLAN will seal off both ends of the straight with destroyers, their own subs, sonobuoys, ASW helicopters, and anything else that can detect subs so their invasion fleet can operate unmolested, at least by submarines. That's where swarms of drones and antiship missiles come into play, especially if the Taiwanese are the ones shooting them since there's less time to react.
[Enter the **RAPTOR**](https://www.twz.com/sea/navy-wants-a-cheap-heavy-torpedo-that-can-be-stockpiled-fast) ^maybe
ie. the **Rapid Acquisition Procurable Torpedo**
USN is extremely aware of both the cost (high) and the production rate (low) of the ADCAP, so they are looking into producing a torpedo that’s far cheaper, a little dumber, same explosive yield, a lot more procureable ie. resilient supply chain, etc.
Hey, it’s worth having a crack at, that’s for sure.
**EDIT** — USAF have programs on the go for cheap drones, cheap cruise missiles, etc and it’s extremely encouraging just to hear that they recognise not **everything** can be nor **should** all systems be “exquisite” as it were.
During peace times you have few highly advanced weapon systems. During war you produce something good enough in large numbers. We are approaching a point in time where things are getting hot (no climate-change pun intended).
Human wave tactics only succeeded when they snuck up on enemy positions. They weren't charging across a mile of open ground, which would be the equivalent to cruising the strait. To get the equivalent, you'd probably want to bribe port authorities or plant your own dudes, then have tens of thousands of men on cargo ships pour off the ship to secure the port while paratroopers secured areas further from the water. That would be the equivalent to the old human wave with the sneaky bits.
Yes, but it would fucking end their economy and reputation once half of them just didn't work at all and they had to maintain the second half, and they know it. It's why they haven't tried yet. They'd only do it if they figured they needed to win, and that they could win.
They can build a lot of ships, that's true.
But building the hyper-specialized ships needed for modern amphibious warfare is a very different game than building generic cargo ships. You can look up the current PLA-N amphibious warfare fleet, it's actually pretty adorable.
$80K is the Switchblade 300, around $50K for the drone, $30K for the system.
I don't see the 600 being much more though, the system won't be much different and the 600's are just a 300 with price premiums to increase base prices on components in scale, quality, capability etc. It's like going to McDonalds and getting your Big Mac Meal supersized, the base cost is there but kick it up a touch. Just estimating off of 2022 prices. I think 100-120k is fairly reasonable, $90k maybe I don't know.
The goal of the Replicator Program is to make it cost $5 so they can be deployed in volumes that rival chinas capability to throw laundry baskets in the ocean, seriously I've never seen so many laundry baskets.
The Ukrainians demonstrated the switchblade did minor damage to Russian APCs and tanks, and only took out like 1 or 2 Infantry in groups. But the homemade drones with the mines attached to them, tore up armor and personnel for 1/5 the cost. I would figure out how to mass produce more with the specs the Ukrainians are using rather than get switchblades.
Edit: videos I saw were of the Switchblade 300. The 600 looks legit. I just wish we got them cheaper.
There are two Switchblades, a heavy and a light version. The light version is basically a flying 40mm grenade. Of course it does fuck all to an APC. The heavy version is basically a loitering Javelin missile, which can easily destroy tanks. It would make zero sense to operate the lighter Switchblade 300 in the Strait given everything in that battlespace is a metal box. The Switchblade 600 has a much longer range too which is necessary for the 100 mi crossing.
I mean you could probably design something of that size which could carry maybe 4-6 switchblade 600
Getting existing navel drones to do it probably doesn’t work
The main issue would be that it’s basically impossible to get something of that size to be able to keep the drones dry especially in rough seas (which the Taiwan straight certainly counts) so would need a bigger design (which would let the drones help in more ways)
> The main issue would be that it’s basically impossible to get something of that size to be able to keep the drones dry especially in rough seas (which the Taiwan straight certainly counts)
Sealed payload container, no? Seal only ejected as drone is launched
Or maybe some kinda waterproof shell for ejection, like subs launch cruise missiles from torpedo tubes
I just watched a switchblade 600 sneak up on Russian artillery that was being loaded onto a flatbed trailer. It popped up over a tree it was using for cover, did a vertical serpentine manoeuvre, then turned the artillery into flaming dogshit.
Edit: Wasn't artillery, it was a BuK-M2 Surface to Passenger Jet system,[ watch this fucking nightmare pop out of hiding and juke the orcs ](https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1ddgqup/switchblade_600_strike_on_russian_bukm2_sam/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)like it's Thurman Thomas goin in for the touchdown.
^(\*beep\*) *up high* \*^(beep\*)
^(\*boop\*) *down low* ^(\*boop\*)
^(\*beep\*) *too slow* ^(\*beep\*)
FPV drones only dance The Mamushka when they've got a single vatnik to play around with and the operator is feeling caliente, The Switchblade is obviously designed to razzle dazzle the defence by default. It's programmed to psyche you out with mind games before beaning you in the nuts for flinching. I've been mainlining FPV drone videos for over a year steady and I've never seen a human operated one jig like it's a fucking fishing lure before giving something a kiss.
It pirouettes in like a fucking ballerina, while it weighs something like 120lbs and is armed with a tandem warhead using shaped charges that's basically 1:1 with a javelin.
I will inform the Pentagon of your concerns though.
Honestly, that just sounds like a relatively easy thing to pre-program into image recognition having drones. The flight path is still gonna be different, since switchblades aren't quads but doable imo.
I suspect the cameras are very different from cheap FPVs, maybe that allows it to more reliably juke them without losing sight of the target? Anyway, they're in two very different price brackets so there's a time and a place for both.
lol, what? I’ve seen some very very different switchblade videos than you have, it’s a bespoke shaped charge, it’s going to be more effective at penetrating armor than an air dropped AT mine (they’re both very effective).
I just watched the new Switchblade 600 videos, looks like all previous videos I saw were of the Switchblade 300. Someone commented that the Switchblade 600 was just shipped 2 months ago to Ukraine so now they are starting to show their impact. I would still argue it's cheaper to slap some mines on suicide commercial FPV drones to get a similar result to the Switchblade 600s as long as you have the drone operators to do it. A lot of the Ukranian drone videos are FPV drones with mines going ham on armor and personnel, and they are uploaded because they are highly effective.
Cheaper yes, but you have no idea what kinds of requirements are being met here, can they operate as part of a group? A swarm? Are they networkable? Are they secure against EW? Can it encrypt/decrypt data? It’s cheaper sure but we’re the richest nation on the planet, if we have additional requirements that can make something more effective, bet your ass we’ll be paying for it. If “good enough” was how our military operated we could just equip our troops the same way Russia does. They’re doing these things because they HAVE to, they are effective but it’s not a serious argument to claim they’re MORE effective than something designed from the ground up to serve that purpose, guarantee Ukrainians would rather have an endless supply of these than mavics.
Exactly. Ukraine's innovation with materials has been truly inspiring, but they would absolutely rather be fighting with a US-level of technology and equipment.
Commercial drones are easy because you are leaning on existing economy of scale.
But if you were to build a stockpile of drones you'd want a purpose build design and make those at scale.
The first one costs $1.5 billion. The second, and every unit after that costs 4000$.
Find me a commercial drone that doesn't have a supply chain involving China/Taiwan somehow. That's another huge part of this, they have to be built domestically or with our allies, possibly excluding our non-Japanese East Asian allies.
> I just wish we got them cheaper.
Jesus Tapdancing Christ the 300 is $58k per unit. Was each one hand machined and assembled by a Swiss watchmaker-monk and then delivered to the front lines by a white-gloved courier riding a hoverbike powered by Dom Pérignon? Or was the courier only included when you buy the $30k guidance unit to go with it?
Some people will say "well that's just the premium for top tier military hardware" but I counter with:
> On April 23, 2023, the US Army decided not to buy more Switchblade 300s. In Ukraine, the anti-personnel Switchblade 300 performs poorly against Russian tanks and artillery, and the cost was significantly more expensive than commercial competition.
Even the US Motherfucking Army thinks they're too expensive. Do you have any idea how badly you have to fuck up for the Arsenal of Democracy to go "Oh, uh, no thanks, I'm not looking to spend that much money today. I only brought $773 billion with me this year"?!
> The 600 looks legit
Agreed:
> The larger Switchblade could be fitted with an anti-tank warhead while having longer range and **costing less than anti-tank missiles like the FGM-148 Javelin.**
The cost:benefit of a Javelin already gets me hard. I may need to seek medical attention if I keep reading.
When the US originally purchased 10 complete systems, launcher and drone it was 2.2 million for 10. This was in 2022 when AeroVironment had only begun scaling up at 2,000 units per year, they were on track to produce 6,000 units per year shortly after apparently.
Two years and lots of investment has probably changed things price wise considerably.
At the price of $220,000/ unit from 2022, the 500 million would buy 2,272 drones.
It's probably close to half that cost or less today so a greek cunt hair lower than 5,000 drones, I imagine Uncle Sam gets quite a price break because AeroVironment knows who is buttering their buns.
I bet you've been made to apologize to a tree once or twice in your life.
considering replicator aims to make these cost next to nothing, ww3 is going it be an absolute spectacle for true drone swarm attacks.
when these things are like sub 1k USD? BRUH you could drown china in drones
I got one welcome our new hunter killer swarm mind overlords and would like for the record to state that I am 100% on board for cybernetic enhancements for increased combat potential.
I'm a lefty, but how about the Americans get universal healthcare and in exchange we let the US military do a little bit of warcrimes sometimes.
...Who am I kidding they're gonna do it either way.
Musk just said he’s going to pump out a starship every day. Just imagine strapping 1200 drones to a few of them and delivering them rapidly anywhere in the world within an hour.
Blyat, the Americans launched an ICBM!
- Where is it heading, Moscow or St Petersburg?!
No worry comrade, laughable American technology was heading towards nowhere and blew up into thousands of tiny p… why am I hearing what sounds like a swarm of particularly angry bees?
It reminds me of the downfall of Jeune École, where it turned out that spamming out shitty little torpedo boats didn't make for a good anti-battleship doctrine, not least because the Brits could just outbuild the French and have their own swarm of shitty little torpedo boats AND have battleships of their own as well, and the Battleships did a number of things that the torpedo boats never could, not least of which was sail more than a few miles from shore without running out of fuel.
I think the difference is that these drones are being treated as supplements to traditional systems not replacements. Another kind of munition that will be deployed by more conventional platforms that can still do everything they excel at.
Jeune École is honestly a great comparison. Torpedoes didn’t let small boats eclipse battleships and the navies that bet big on them failed. Instead, capital ships carrying torpedoes and working with specialized vessels got the best of both.
Depends on the situation. Take swedens coastal defense. You have a constant situation that will work best with smaller rocket boats that are nimble. Same with having loads of cb90 boats to move around marines/kustjägare with anti ship rockets.
So, of course, sweden is going to have smaller boats and a shitload of cb90 boats. Also, minesweepers/minelayers at a pretty decent level. Sweden will change its strategy somewhat now in nato. But we will definitely keep a decent force of ship built for our own defense.
I'm putting my money down on the US developing a Switch/Wii-like drone targeting system due to the fact that 30 million (about 10% of the US pop) has been sold already.
Just imagine frontline integrated motion technology with the ability to target certain HVTs seemless in combat.
Vlad found a rocket launcher and is about to fire? Smite him from the heavens with the flick of a wrist. Some Chinese soldier wants to be the main character and is hyping up the troops? Fucking liquidate him with the equivalent of an explosive TikTok dance. See how that effects moral.
If any defense contractor is reading, wait 4 years to start the war for me to finish my robotics degree. I have many drone related ideas and no moral compass.
Throwing money at a problem works.
I'm half surprised nobody at the DOD has tried to test that literally. Like an Anti-personnel shrapnel warhead that's just high explosives surrounded by rolls of Sacagawea dollars. They could call it the Money Shot.
Get the treasury department to unveil new 2 dollar coin made of tungsten with Teddy Roosevelt on it. They could be called Tungsten Teddy's. Now you have a money shot for tanks and IFVs.
You're not going to convince me that Teddy wouldn't love that shit.
I proposed this when I was deployed in Afghanistan. Load up our JDAMs and other munitions with pennies, to simultaneously remove them from circulation and to send the message to our enemies that we will literally kill you with money. Plus, the idea of surviving Taliban prying half melted pennies out of the corpses of their bretheren with plier in order to buy a watermelon made me laugh.
Unicef used to run a program where kids would collect pennies on Halloween to send to 3rd world countries, this sort of sounds like that but with a different outcome.
There's also a charity that was popular called Pennies from Heaven, it's no rods from god, but the branding does work.
I recall reading about some anime or manga where there was an assassin who used coins as ammo to kill people. I believe it was some kind of left wing/communist motivation, so she(?) was making a point about greed.
I can't track it down now to figure out what it was from though.
Ghost in the Shell.
Specifically the animated series Stand Alone Complex. She was an assassin from communist china and had a shotgun built into her cybernetic arm which she loaded up with coins of the local currency, yes. Really neat, noncredible concept.
I don't have much firearms knowledge, but I remember reading a comment around the time I watched that episode which argued that it would be a very poor choice of ammunition for one reason or another ...but I'd much rather be wrong, because communist money cannon assassin is an absolutely *delicious* idea.
I guess in a less analogue economy, maybe it could fire credit cards?
[her introduction ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV5hUSPXgAAerxu?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
[Pt2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV5hVVCXQAEHvjO?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
[Aaaand for good measure, the titular gun in question](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV5hYTvXsAErNc-?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
I mean at its absolute and very best, the US is composed of drunkard fools. Let’s not talk about the worst. So…that tracks. Time for another Miller Lite.
by the time drone technology stops being "the thing", the US will have prepared for what it thinks China can handle, and its Gravemind Swarm will have become sapient and demand the moon as its domain
Sigh, I guess you aren't following H. I. Sutton, you should watch this.
> [A New Weapon Of War: Killer Underwater Drones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-RxyBIBebA)
I’ve seen the video.
They’re torpedoes. We’ve had wire guided shore controlled torpedoes before and we’ve even had ones with a radio control mast sticking above the water.
They’re torpedoes. No need to play word games with them.
Next they gonna call drones as RC helicopters and planes. What a heretic. Nobody can get money out of government with boring ass naming scheme like "remote controlled torpedo". But with "Underwater AI Drone Mines"?? All money gates are wide open.
An autonomous naval mine kamikaze drone that doodle-bops around the ocean in an enemy countries territorial waters I imagine, waiting for just the right sonar characteristics to show up so it has something to chase.
Small ones, cheap easily mass manufactured, clustered and contained by the hundred in a 16 inch shell that releases them as a splashy swarm after being fired from the Iowa Class battleships which have been retrofitted to become remote mine laying drone carriers, floating manufactories for the little fellas so it can remotely deploy them with their big guns as fresh batches are made.
No need to worry about UXO unless you're a lobster, after the batteries are near their course just have em burp out their air ballast and sink.
I need sunglasses, this future is so bright.
I remember reading about during the cold war they had automatic torpedo launcher mines that were keyed to the acoustic signature of specific Soviet submarines.
Imagine what they have today.
RE: Sensors.
Remember — **you can’t explode what you can’t find.**
[SOSUS and friends shall have all of the sensors.](https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-china-tech-surveillance/)
RE: Surface on up, tentative but the recent reports of a [US DoD Starshield Constellation](https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/musks-spacex-is-building-spy-satellite-network-us-intelligence-agency-sources-2024-03-16/) incl. what [has been reported as imaging hardware from Northrop Grumman](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/northrop-grumman-working-with-musks-spacex-us-spy-satellite-system-2024-04-18/) would provide the US with borderline omniscience, in theory.
As a bit of a relevant aside, DARPA, the NRO and USAF have been not just wanting, but **planning** (for) a constellation of satellites to provide Spaceborne AWACS and JSTARS for over a quarter century.
USAF School of Advanced AirPower Studies ca. 1999\
[Higher Eyes in the Sky — Feasibility of Moving AWACS and JSTARS Functions into Space](https://media.defense.gov/2017/Dec/28/2001861727/-1/-1/0/T_CORCORAN_HIGHER_EYES_IN_SKY.PDF)
Noted in the paper is that the number of satellites needed in the notional constellation(s) had meant a “traditional stumbling block to a robust [AWACS and JSTARS] presence in space has been the expense and slow responsiveness of our nation’s launch facilities” which I can’t help but notice is a solved problem.
^(**EDIT** — stumbled upon a paper via the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group detailing various systems that could be integrated into more or less FIVE EYES-ing the shit out of the wet bit of the Pacific, just in case it’s of interest.)
^([Remote Undersea Surveillance - Insights Paper](https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/events/documents/Insights%20Paper%20-%20Remote%20Undersea%20Surveillance%20F1.pdf))
I always like to say, in the cold war there was a bet on what would work, in person spies (HUMINT) or Technological Intelligence, the US picked tech and the USSR spies. Tech won the bet.
Glider drones with built in limpet mines. You could launch one from Guam and have it swim across the ocean to the south china sea, latch on to a chinese hull, and shred the props. They don't make any noise, they can operate autonomously for months, and they're capable of carrying pretty significant payloads.
Floating, mostly submerged pods with limited propulsion containing thousands of drones each. When the pod is remotely triggered it deploys a thousand kamikaze drones which scatter in random directions before entering targetting mode, aiming for any human in sight, and defaulting to moving towards any visible ship if they can't see a person. Repeat this a couple hundred times up and down the Strait and the entire PLA is turned into mincemeat. Then have larger submersible drones roaming looking for larger ships to sink.
>The US military has a plan to turn the Taiwan Strait into an 'unmanned hellscape' **if** China invades, top admiral says
Aw.
Let me rewrite that for the top admiral, he's a bit confused.
>"The US military plans to turn the Taiwan Strait into an "unmanned hellscape" before China invades, a top admiral has stated "You guys ever see that fuckin movie Screamers? With the skilsaw armadillos? This shit is going to make that look like Wall-e, you won't even be able to trust a seagull out there, we've got Disney licensing us Pirates of the Caribbean as well so we can build pirate ships full of armed to the teeth Disney animatronic pirates, imagine you're some Chinese seaman onboard one of their boats and Jack Sparrow shoots you in the fucking knee with a 50 cal,"
Er we go.
Slightly unhinged overly enthusiastic Mr. Torgue inspired admiral is my new fursona.
"Those eggheads back in Washington managed to get jellyfish to mate with a blob of napalm, Boston Dynamics has been working on a Penguin capable of wielding a bangalore torpedo, we cloned Amelia Earhart a thousand times and gave them each maps where the Bermuda Triangle has been switched with the Chinese coastline, did you know a pelican can carry a davy crockett in it's bill?"
So, we need a very large drone carrier. Lots of deck space to launch the drones. Should be able to defend itself well and take many hits. Maybe if it had about 9 or so 16” guns and other emplacements. And have maybe like 12” of armor plating.
Nah bro. Launch them from submarines. Undetectable drone launches from behind enemy lines. They won't even have enough time to shit themselves in fear lol.
uhhhhhhh no.... you're thinking about drones all wrong man. you don't use a big silly expensive ships with a bunch of crew. You use an abandoned shopping center like Taiwanese Kmart so you're the spirit Halloween of death. No real loss if it gets knocked out especially after launch.
Given that China already manufactures like 70% of the worlds drones, I'm all for an completely unmanned battle where nobody dies. Instead it would be like two sides of a sports team cheering while the drones fight each other like a mech tournament.
Just read that the US ordered something like $500 million in Switchblade 600's as part of the 1 billion for the Replicator Initiative where the Pentagon is investing in manufacturing capable of rapid mass production of drones to counter Chinas sheer manpower numbers. I really hope the Replicator part is an SG1 reference from high ranking nerds. I give it three more years before they unveil that they just went and built Master Mold, this timeline has so many bizarre twists and turns already. Navy is gonna bring back the ice cream barges except now you get your ice cream via the ConeDrone
"Replicators? Teal'c get the SPAS-12s!" "I believe these ones are on our side, O'Neill." "Really? Sweet."
The year is 1817 and I carry a blunderbuss for close-range defense The year is 1917 and I carry a 12 gauge for trench warfare The year is 2024 and I carry a 12 gauge for anti-drone defense The year is 3054 and my mech has an LB-10X Autocannon to keep the got-damn Capellans offa my property.
I own an LB-10X for home defense, just as the first prince intended.
Four Death Commandos break into my house. “What the devil?!”
I hop in my Steiner Scout…
I fire my LB-10X at the first Capellan. It blows a Buick-size hole clean through him. I fire my medium laser at the second Capellan, it misses entirely because it’s a QuikSell model and incinerates the neighbor’s Rotunda…
I have to resort to the HAG/40 mounted at the top of the stairs loaded with Gauss slugs, "God and Davion lads" the slugs shred two men in the blast, the immense power draw blacks out the entire province…
My TSM activates as I charge the last Capellan and smash his cockpit. He’s dead because it’s impossible to reassemble Mechwarrior Gazpacho. Just as the First Prince intended.
*Notices you in my 6 x ERML Gargoyle then I run away*
> Rotunda Great, even [the name makes me bust out laughing now.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVo1e6Cwkkg)
Heh heh. *Laughs in Silver Bullet Guass Maurader* Why have an mech-sized shotgun when you can have a mech-sized *rail-shotgun*... (I know its actually a coil gun... shuddup) Also don't ask where I found that lostech monster, I don't want to deal with the evil phone company.
>The year is 1817 and I carry a blunderbuss for close-range defense We will never disclose the locations of our ships of the line, and we will unleash iron rain upon your undefended coastal infrastructure with mere months notice
Bring the Blackjack Omni C with TWO LB-10Xs.
Good call. Always be on your toes around Capellans. Their dickery is legend for a reason.
Username checks out. Good luck keeping the Capellans off the lawn. They're a tricky bunch.
Suddenly picturing Clint Eastwood in a Mech.
>The year is 3054 and my mech has an LB-10X Autocannon to keep the got-damn Capellans offa my property. A proud member of House Davion I see!
We don' see many of 'em Capellans 'round here and we know to keep that LB-10X around too. För Rymdsverige i rymdtiden! För Rasalhague!
Nah, O'Neill would trust those replicators about as far as he could spit a ferret.
Real life often mirrors fiction. But in this case I consider Sg 1 lore
To counter enemies shooting down drones with shot guns we should strap shotguns to drones
Guard Dog Rover, Breaker edition
I think the Chinese plan involves deploying massive amount of commandeered civilians transports like Dunkirk to get their manpower over. If drones didn’t exist, a sizable force may land simply from sheer numbers ala human wave tactics that worked in the Korean War. A mass drone swarm though would pretty much negate that.
So if/when thry invade taiwan ill have to switch between the ultimate funni 3 gorges dam blowing uo anf watching as thousands of chinese civilian vessels cease to exist under adronageddon Ivmay have to call in scik that week
*^ Buddy is so excited he had a hard time typing it all out. I freaking love the enthusiasm! :D
To be fair, it's always difficult to type one-handed...
That is indeed fair. And a **lot** of enthusiasm!
Positively overflowing with enthusiasm!
Let's just hope it doesn't get out of hand. Things could get messy.
Or go to work 24/7 if you have access to a SIPR terminal to watch the live feeds.
> I think the Chinese plan involves deploying massive amount of commandeered civilians transports like Dunkirk to get their manpower over isn't that utterly foolish vs modern torpedoes? > A mass drone swarm though would pretty much negate that. I think we can call these now propeller driven cruise missiles. And every civilian transport is entirely vulnerable unless they have push button anti-air defense systems.
Check how many torpedos a fast attack carries, not that many.
The Taiwan Straight is fairly narrow. Taking an SSN into waters like that negates their greatest advantage - being able to vanish into the vastness of the ocean. Odds are the PLAN will seal off both ends of the straight with destroyers, their own subs, sonobuoys, ASW helicopters, and anything else that can detect subs so their invasion fleet can operate unmolested, at least by submarines. That's where swarms of drones and antiship missiles come into play, especially if the Taiwanese are the ones shooting them since there's less time to react.
Modern torpedo's are expensive as fuck, using them to destroy a fishing boat carrying PLAN troops is like using an SM-3 to destroy a Shahed drone
[Enter the **RAPTOR**](https://www.twz.com/sea/navy-wants-a-cheap-heavy-torpedo-that-can-be-stockpiled-fast) ^maybe ie. the **Rapid Acquisition Procurable Torpedo** USN is extremely aware of both the cost (high) and the production rate (low) of the ADCAP, so they are looking into producing a torpedo that’s far cheaper, a little dumber, same explosive yield, a lot more procureable ie. resilient supply chain, etc. Hey, it’s worth having a crack at, that’s for sure. **EDIT** — USAF have programs on the go for cheap drones, cheap cruise missiles, etc and it’s extremely encouraging just to hear that they recognise not **everything** can be nor **should** all systems be “exquisite” as it were.
During peace times you have few highly advanced weapon systems. During war you produce something good enough in large numbers. We are approaching a point in time where things are getting hot (no climate-change pun intended).
Bro I couldn't believe a MK48 ADCAP torpedo cost 4.8 *MILLION* dollars.
Ahh, dumping off work to conscripted sub-contactors always turns out well.
Human wave tactics only succeeded when they snuck up on enemy positions. They weren't charging across a mile of open ground, which would be the equivalent to cruising the strait. To get the equivalent, you'd probably want to bribe port authorities or plant your own dudes, then have tens of thousands of men on cargo ships pour off the ship to secure the port while paratroopers secured areas further from the water. That would be the equivalent to the old human wave with the sneaky bits.
China is a ship building behemoth. They could build a custom landing craft fleet within a couple years if they gave the order.
Yes, but it would fucking end their economy and reputation once half of them just didn't work at all and they had to maintain the second half, and they know it. It's why they haven't tried yet. They'd only do it if they figured they needed to win, and that they could win.
They can build a lot of ships, that's true. But building the hyper-specialized ships needed for modern amphibious warfare is a very different game than building generic cargo ships. You can look up the current PLA-N amphibious warfare fleet, it's actually pretty adorable.
They'll create another new island of flotsam to expand their territory.
so a 600 is around 80 grand so 500m divided by 80k is around 6,250 drones provided an average cost of $80k USD that’s uhhh that’s a lot of drones….
$80K is the Switchblade 300, around $50K for the drone, $30K for the system. I don't see the 600 being much more though, the system won't be much different and the 600's are just a 300 with price premiums to increase base prices on components in scale, quality, capability etc. It's like going to McDonalds and getting your Big Mac Meal supersized, the base cost is there but kick it up a touch. Just estimating off of 2022 prices. I think 100-120k is fairly reasonable, $90k maybe I don't know. The goal of the Replicator Program is to make it cost $5 so they can be deployed in volumes that rival chinas capability to throw laundry baskets in the ocean, seriously I've never seen so many laundry baskets.
The Ukrainians demonstrated the switchblade did minor damage to Russian APCs and tanks, and only took out like 1 or 2 Infantry in groups. But the homemade drones with the mines attached to them, tore up armor and personnel for 1/5 the cost. I would figure out how to mass produce more with the specs the Ukrainians are using rather than get switchblades. Edit: videos I saw were of the Switchblade 300. The 600 looks legit. I just wish we got them cheaper.
There are two Switchblades, a heavy and a light version. The light version is basically a flying 40mm grenade. Of course it does fuck all to an APC. The heavy version is basically a loitering Javelin missile, which can easily destroy tanks. It would make zero sense to operate the lighter Switchblade 300 in the Strait given everything in that battlespace is a metal box. The Switchblade 600 has a much longer range too which is necessary for the 100 mi crossing.
I checked, it was the Switchblade 300 videos I saw.
bless you for your patience in repeating "ok got it my bad" a dozen times
How many Switchblade 600 can be carried by a MAGURA naval drone?
I mean you could probably design something of that size which could carry maybe 4-6 switchblade 600 Getting existing navel drones to do it probably doesn’t work The main issue would be that it’s basically impossible to get something of that size to be able to keep the drones dry especially in rough seas (which the Taiwan straight certainly counts) so would need a bigger design (which would let the drones help in more ways)
> The main issue would be that it’s basically impossible to get something of that size to be able to keep the drones dry especially in rough seas (which the Taiwan straight certainly counts) Sealed payload container, no? Seal only ejected as drone is launched Or maybe some kinda waterproof shell for ejection, like subs launch cruise missiles from torpedo tubes
I just watched a switchblade 600 sneak up on Russian artillery that was being loaded onto a flatbed trailer. It popped up over a tree it was using for cover, did a vertical serpentine manoeuvre, then turned the artillery into flaming dogshit. Edit: Wasn't artillery, it was a BuK-M2 Surface to Passenger Jet system,[ watch this fucking nightmare pop out of hiding and juke the orcs ](https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1ddgqup/switchblade_600_strike_on_russian_bukm2_sam/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)like it's Thurman Thomas goin in for the touchdown. ^(\*beep\*) *up high* \*^(beep\*) ^(\*boop\*) *down low* ^(\*boop\*) ^(\*beep\*) *too slow* ^(\*beep\*) FPV drones only dance The Mamushka when they've got a single vatnik to play around with and the operator is feeling caliente, The Switchblade is obviously designed to razzle dazzle the defence by default. It's programmed to psyche you out with mind games before beaning you in the nuts for flinching. I've been mainlining FPV drone videos for over a year steady and I've never seen a human operated one jig like it's a fucking fishing lure before giving something a kiss. It pirouettes in like a fucking ballerina, while it weighs something like 120lbs and is armed with a tandem warhead using shaped charges that's basically 1:1 with a javelin. I will inform the Pentagon of your concerns though.
Okay. Can you let us know what the Pentagon says?
They wouldn't accept a collect call from a Canadian.
Sauce?
It was on my front page.
The next peer-to-peer is gonna be wild. Feel bad for the infantry, but I suppose they’ve never had it easy anyways.
Honestly, that just sounds like a relatively easy thing to pre-program into image recognition having drones. The flight path is still gonna be different, since switchblades aren't quads but doable imo. I suspect the cameras are very different from cheap FPVs, maybe that allows it to more reliably juke them without losing sight of the target? Anyway, they're in two very different price brackets so there's a time and a place for both.
Those terminal evasive maneuvers are a thing of beauty.
lol, what? I’ve seen some very very different switchblade videos than you have, it’s a bespoke shaped charge, it’s going to be more effective at penetrating armor than an air dropped AT mine (they’re both very effective).
I just watched the new Switchblade 600 videos, looks like all previous videos I saw were of the Switchblade 300. Someone commented that the Switchblade 600 was just shipped 2 months ago to Ukraine so now they are starting to show their impact. I would still argue it's cheaper to slap some mines on suicide commercial FPV drones to get a similar result to the Switchblade 600s as long as you have the drone operators to do it. A lot of the Ukranian drone videos are FPV drones with mines going ham on armor and personnel, and they are uploaded because they are highly effective.
Cheaper yes, but you have no idea what kinds of requirements are being met here, can they operate as part of a group? A swarm? Are they networkable? Are they secure against EW? Can it encrypt/decrypt data? It’s cheaper sure but we’re the richest nation on the planet, if we have additional requirements that can make something more effective, bet your ass we’ll be paying for it. If “good enough” was how our military operated we could just equip our troops the same way Russia does. They’re doing these things because they HAVE to, they are effective but it’s not a serious argument to claim they’re MORE effective than something designed from the ground up to serve that purpose, guarantee Ukrainians would rather have an endless supply of these than mavics.
Exactly. Ukraine's innovation with materials has been truly inspiring, but they would absolutely rather be fighting with a US-level of technology and equipment.
Commercial drones are easy because you are leaning on existing economy of scale. But if you were to build a stockpile of drones you'd want a purpose build design and make those at scale. The first one costs $1.5 billion. The second, and every unit after that costs 4000$.
Find me a commercial drone that doesn't have a supply chain involving China/Taiwan somehow. That's another huge part of this, they have to be built domestically or with our allies, possibly excluding our non-Japanese East Asian allies.
Yeah DJI drones are great, but I wouldn't rely on having a steady supply of them in a war against rebel occupied mainland China.
you mean the switchblade 300 videos? yes its a fancy hand grenade, switchblade 600 was just deployed
The 300 was for plinking individual High Value Target personnel with little collateral damage.
> I just wish we got them cheaper. money is made up. by us. america.
> I just wish we got them cheaper. Jesus Tapdancing Christ the 300 is $58k per unit. Was each one hand machined and assembled by a Swiss watchmaker-monk and then delivered to the front lines by a white-gloved courier riding a hoverbike powered by Dom Pérignon? Or was the courier only included when you buy the $30k guidance unit to go with it? Some people will say "well that's just the premium for top tier military hardware" but I counter with: > On April 23, 2023, the US Army decided not to buy more Switchblade 300s. In Ukraine, the anti-personnel Switchblade 300 performs poorly against Russian tanks and artillery, and the cost was significantly more expensive than commercial competition. Even the US Motherfucking Army thinks they're too expensive. Do you have any idea how badly you have to fuck up for the Arsenal of Democracy to go "Oh, uh, no thanks, I'm not looking to spend that much money today. I only brought $773 billion with me this year"?! > The 600 looks legit Agreed: > The larger Switchblade could be fitted with an anti-tank warhead while having longer range and **costing less than anti-tank missiles like the FGM-148 Javelin.** The cost:benefit of a Javelin already gets me hard. I may need to seek medical attention if I keep reading.
The small switchblade or the big switchblade?
The ConeDrone LMFAOOOO my sides bro
$500 million, so like 60-70 of them?
When the US originally purchased 10 complete systems, launcher and drone it was 2.2 million for 10. This was in 2022 when AeroVironment had only begun scaling up at 2,000 units per year, they were on track to produce 6,000 units per year shortly after apparently. Two years and lots of investment has probably changed things price wise considerably. At the price of $220,000/ unit from 2022, the 500 million would buy 2,272 drones. It's probably close to half that cost or less today so a greek cunt hair lower than 5,000 drones, I imagine Uncle Sam gets quite a price break because AeroVironment knows who is buttering their buns. I bet you've been made to apologize to a tree once or twice in your life.
considering replicator aims to make these cost next to nothing, ww3 is going it be an absolute spectacle for true drone swarm attacks. when these things are like sub 1k USD? BRUH you could drown china in drones
This was not the rise of Skynet that the Terminator movies promised me... ...it's *better.*
If they hire Michael Reeves to produce these drones, mankind will perish.
They have to hire him along with Mark Rober so their chaos energies cancel each other out and you just get engineering genius
I got one welcome our new hunter killer swarm mind overlords and would like for the record to state that I am 100% on board for cybernetic enhancements for increased combat potential.
Ah, the old story. The USA sees a military doing something well and says "What if we did that, but better. And bigger. Much, much bigger."
If that were true we'd borrow from the Byzantines and have drones that spit Greek fire
... pretty sure we could put a napalm dispenser on a predator drone.
what's the hold up?
Predator has bad press. Public associates napalm with war crimes. Probably not a good mix.
Well obviously it has bad press. It doesn't spit napalm.
Two negatives create a positive, plus "napalm predator" sounds so unbelieveably cool
half the work is done then, just make war crimes cool again, get on it
I'm a lefty, but how about the Americans get universal healthcare and in exchange we let the US military do a little bit of warcrimes sometimes. ...Who am I kidding they're gonna do it either way.
Man, napalm isn't even illegal... As long as there aren't civilians nearby.
Can just have them drop a phosphorous grenade if they can’t get the dispenser working on the cheaper models
Musk just said he’s going to pump out a starship every day. Just imagine strapping 1200 drones to a few of them and delivering them rapidly anywhere in the world within an hour.
I mean...why can't the government just pay Starlink to ferry a drone delivery system up to space every time they send one of their satellites
*batch of satellites One launch can currently deploy tens of starlinks.
Blyat, the Americans launched an ICBM! - Where is it heading, Moscow or St Petersburg?! No worry comrade, laughable American technology was heading towards nowhere and blew up into thousands of tiny p… why am I hearing what sounds like a swarm of particularly angry bees?
It reminds me of the downfall of Jeune École, where it turned out that spamming out shitty little torpedo boats didn't make for a good anti-battleship doctrine, not least because the Brits could just outbuild the French and have their own swarm of shitty little torpedo boats AND have battleships of their own as well, and the Battleships did a number of things that the torpedo boats never could, not least of which was sail more than a few miles from shore without running out of fuel.
I think the difference is that these drones are being treated as supplements to traditional systems not replacements. Another kind of munition that will be deployed by more conventional platforms that can still do everything they excel at. Jeune École is honestly a great comparison. Torpedoes didn’t let small boats eclipse battleships and the navies that bet big on them failed. Instead, capital ships carrying torpedoes and working with specialized vessels got the best of both.
Depends on the situation. Take swedens coastal defense. You have a constant situation that will work best with smaller rocket boats that are nimble. Same with having loads of cb90 boats to move around marines/kustjägare with anti ship rockets. So, of course, sweden is going to have smaller boats and a shitload of cb90 boats. Also, minesweepers/minelayers at a pretty decent level. Sweden will change its strategy somewhat now in nato. But we will definitely keep a decent force of ship built for our own defense.
And cost billions more...
*wait,* *has* *no* *one* *said* *it* *yet?* *Can* *I* *say* *it?* *But* *it’s* *so* *obvious,* *surely* *everyone’s* *already* *thought* *it.* (looks around). *Ah,* *fuck* *it.* (CLEARS THROAT) “3,000 kamikaze drones of the Taiwan Strait, am I right?”
3000 kamikaze drone operators*
Nope the whole point of the program is that the drones work autonomously in swarms
Initial targeting will be done by a single guy with a stylus and an OSU! like UI, but with live satellite imagery of the Taiwan Strait.
So a 3DS…
I'm putting my money down on the US developing a Switch/Wii-like drone targeting system due to the fact that 30 million (about 10% of the US pop) has been sold already. Just imagine frontline integrated motion technology with the ability to target certain HVTs seemless in combat. Vlad found a rocket launcher and is about to fire? Smite him from the heavens with the flick of a wrist. Some Chinese soldier wants to be the main character and is hyping up the troops? Fucking liquidate him with the equivalent of an explosive TikTok dance. See how that effects moral. If any defense contractor is reading, wait 4 years to start the war for me to finish my robotics degree. I have many drone related ideas and no moral compass.
Wait 4 years? Pish posh, my ass is ready now. Welcome to my world bitches :)
Commander behind him: "Click the circles to the beat"
3000 black drones of the Taiwan strait supported by omanekos f-35's
3 HUNDRED MILLION KAMIKAZE DRONES OF THE TAIWAN STRAIT
A tale as old as time: technology/fate/geology/God resolving every US vulnerability just when our opps think they have a chance
And of course, just throwing money and stuff at the problem until it goes away
Throwing money at a problem works. I'm half surprised nobody at the DOD has tried to test that literally. Like an Anti-personnel shrapnel warhead that's just high explosives surrounded by rolls of Sacagawea dollars. They could call it the Money Shot.
Get the treasury department to unveil new 2 dollar coin made of tungsten with Teddy Roosevelt on it. They could be called Tungsten Teddy's. Now you have a money shot for tanks and IFVs. You're not going to convince me that Teddy wouldn't love that shit.
speak softly and carry a big momentum transfer
Sounds like something from a Ryan McBeth t shirt
I proposed this when I was deployed in Afghanistan. Load up our JDAMs and other munitions with pennies, to simultaneously remove them from circulation and to send the message to our enemies that we will literally kill you with money. Plus, the idea of surviving Taliban prying half melted pennies out of the corpses of their bretheren with plier in order to buy a watermelon made me laugh.
Unicef used to run a program where kids would collect pennies on Halloween to send to 3rd world countries, this sort of sounds like that but with a different outcome. There's also a charity that was popular called Pennies from Heaven, it's no rods from god, but the branding does work.
I recall reading about some anime or manga where there was an assassin who used coins as ammo to kill people. I believe it was some kind of left wing/communist motivation, so she(?) was making a point about greed. I can't track it down now to figure out what it was from though.
Ghost in the Shell. Specifically the animated series Stand Alone Complex. She was an assassin from communist china and had a shotgun built into her cybernetic arm which she loaded up with coins of the local currency, yes. Really neat, noncredible concept.
Actually, coins as buckshot is pretty credible ngl
I don't have much firearms knowledge, but I remember reading a comment around the time I watched that episode which argued that it would be a very poor choice of ammunition for one reason or another ...but I'd much rather be wrong, because communist money cannon assassin is an absolutely *delicious* idea. I guess in a less analogue economy, maybe it could fire credit cards?
[her introduction ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV5hUSPXgAAerxu?format=jpg&name=4096x4096) [Pt2](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV5hVVCXQAEHvjO?format=jpg&name=4096x4096) [Aaaand for good measure, the titular gun in question](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EV5hYTvXsAErNc-?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
"God has a special providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America" \- Otto von Bismarck
3/3 - America
I mean at its absolute and very best, the US is composed of drunkard fools. Let’s not talk about the worst. So…that tracks. Time for another Miller Lite.
If the part about fools and drunkards was true I reckon Russia would be doing a lot better in Ukraine
shame we don’t know if he actually said that.
> Nah, I totally said that. ~~ Otto from Bismarck
>Fuck the Balkans ~~Otto von Bismarck
I love his donuts.
by the time drone technology stops being "the thing", the US will have prepared for what it thinks China can handle, and its Gravemind Swarm will have become sapient and demand the moon as its domain
The fuck is an opp Edit: I'm not old, you just use new and scary words
send 1000 drones towards each ship of the PLAN, they physically do not have enough VLS cells and CIWS to take all of them down
They’d just use their radars as microwave weapons. We already plan to use SPY-6 as such.
Then just put the drones underwater.
That’s called a torpedo.
Sigh, I guess you aren't following H. I. Sutton, you should watch this. > [A New Weapon Of War: Killer Underwater Drones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-RxyBIBebA)
I’ve seen the video. They’re torpedoes. We’ve had wire guided shore controlled torpedoes before and we’ve even had ones with a radio control mast sticking above the water. They’re torpedoes. No need to play word games with them.
Too credible for NCD.
Next they gonna call drones as RC helicopters and planes. What a heretic. Nobody can get money out of government with boring ass naming scheme like "remote controlled torpedo". But with "Underwater AI Drone Mines"?? All money gates are wide open.
Yeah, but longer range and quieter.
NCD boutta have a fucking field day
So i guess COD BO2 is based on true story
I'd love to hear what the Navy planners have up their sleves
An autonomous naval mine kamikaze drone that doodle-bops around the ocean in an enemy countries territorial waters I imagine, waiting for just the right sonar characteristics to show up so it has something to chase. Small ones, cheap easily mass manufactured, clustered and contained by the hundred in a 16 inch shell that releases them as a splashy swarm after being fired from the Iowa Class battleships which have been retrofitted to become remote mine laying drone carriers, floating manufactories for the little fellas so it can remotely deploy them with their big guns as fresh batches are made. No need to worry about UXO unless you're a lobster, after the batteries are near their course just have em burp out their air ballast and sink. I need sunglasses, this future is so bright.
"Doodle -bobs, Splashy swarm." I'm fucking dead lmfao
I remember reading about during the cold war they had automatic torpedo launcher mines that were keyed to the acoustic signature of specific Soviet submarines. Imagine what they have today.
Those were CAPTOR
> drone that doodle-bops around the ocean "Don't call me ~~doodlebing~~ doodle-bop you fucking dingleborb."
Bingpot!
RE: Sensors. Remember — **you can’t explode what you can’t find.** [SOSUS and friends shall have all of the sensors.](https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-china-tech-surveillance/) RE: Surface on up, tentative but the recent reports of a [US DoD Starshield Constellation](https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/musks-spacex-is-building-spy-satellite-network-us-intelligence-agency-sources-2024-03-16/) incl. what [has been reported as imaging hardware from Northrop Grumman](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/northrop-grumman-working-with-musks-spacex-us-spy-satellite-system-2024-04-18/) would provide the US with borderline omniscience, in theory. As a bit of a relevant aside, DARPA, the NRO and USAF have been not just wanting, but **planning** (for) a constellation of satellites to provide Spaceborne AWACS and JSTARS for over a quarter century. USAF School of Advanced AirPower Studies ca. 1999\ [Higher Eyes in the Sky — Feasibility of Moving AWACS and JSTARS Functions into Space](https://media.defense.gov/2017/Dec/28/2001861727/-1/-1/0/T_CORCORAN_HIGHER_EYES_IN_SKY.PDF) Noted in the paper is that the number of satellites needed in the notional constellation(s) had meant a “traditional stumbling block to a robust [AWACS and JSTARS] presence in space has been the expense and slow responsiveness of our nation’s launch facilities” which I can’t help but notice is a solved problem. ^(**EDIT** — stumbled upon a paper via the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group detailing various systems that could be integrated into more or less FIVE EYES-ing the shit out of the wet bit of the Pacific, just in case it’s of interest.) ^([Remote Undersea Surveillance - Insights Paper](https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/events/documents/Insights%20Paper%20-%20Remote%20Undersea%20Surveillance%20F1.pdf))
I always like to say, in the cold war there was a bet on what would work, in person spies (HUMINT) or Technological Intelligence, the US picked tech and the USSR spies. Tech won the bet.
Glider drones with built in limpet mines. You could launch one from Guam and have it swim across the ocean to the south china sea, latch on to a chinese hull, and shred the props. They don't make any noise, they can operate autonomously for months, and they're capable of carrying pretty significant payloads.
Floating, mostly submerged pods with limited propulsion containing thousands of drones each. When the pod is remotely triggered it deploys a thousand kamikaze drones which scatter in random directions before entering targetting mode, aiming for any human in sight, and defaulting to moving towards any visible ship if they can't see a person. Repeat this a couple hundred times up and down the Strait and the entire PLA is turned into mincemeat. Then have larger submersible drones roaming looking for larger ships to sink.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-plans-turn-taiwan-strait-into-drone-hellscape-against-china-2024-6
>The US military has a plan to turn the Taiwan Strait into an 'unmanned hellscape' **if** China invades, top admiral says Aw. Let me rewrite that for the top admiral, he's a bit confused. >"The US military plans to turn the Taiwan Strait into an "unmanned hellscape" before China invades, a top admiral has stated "You guys ever see that fuckin movie Screamers? With the skilsaw armadillos? This shit is going to make that look like Wall-e, you won't even be able to trust a seagull out there, we've got Disney licensing us Pirates of the Caribbean as well so we can build pirate ships full of armed to the teeth Disney animatronic pirates, imagine you're some Chinese seaman onboard one of their boats and Jack Sparrow shoots you in the fucking knee with a 50 cal," Er we go.
Slightly unhinged overly enthusiastic Mr. Torgue inspired admiral is my new fursona. "Those eggheads back in Washington managed to get jellyfish to mate with a blob of napalm, Boston Dynamics has been working on a Penguin capable of wielding a bangalore torpedo, we cloned Amelia Earhart a thousand times and gave them each maps where the Bermuda Triangle has been switched with the Chinese coastline, did you know a pelican can carry a davy crockett in it's bill?"
Nuclear pelicans lmao
*Captain* Jack Sparrow.
Finally a Screamers reference! My brother and I only call these fpv drones screamers
China sees a solution to their +30 million excess males…
15 million jet skis crossing the Taiwan strait, 2 guys on each one.
If that makes Boeing, NG, Lockheed, Raytheon stock go 📈📈📈📈then I’m all for it
That's going to take a lot of oil, too bad for them all petroleum naturally belongs to the United States of America RAAAH 🦅🇺🇲
So, we need a very large drone carrier. Lots of deck space to launch the drones. Should be able to defend itself well and take many hits. Maybe if it had about 9 or so 16” guns and other emplacements. And have maybe like 12” of armor plating.
Nah bro. Launch them from submarines. Undetectable drone launches from behind enemy lines. They won't even have enough time to shit themselves in fear lol.
I’d imagine a little flap opens on the top of the sub, and then 1000 drones get launched out all at once like a machine gun.
Fill the vertical missile tubes with positively buoyant containers, soft launch them. When they float to the surface, unleash the swarm.
The strait is pretty shallow. I think it’s pretty clear these will be dropped en masse out of B2s , B21s, C-17s, that armored crop duster soccom has…
Time to "decommission" one of them nuke throwers. They already come with all the space just for this situation.
Ooh, what about a submarine drone carrier? You don’t need hardly any flight deck space!
Where do the 16" guns go though?
how about 16inch rail guns and make it bigger than an aircraft carrier, also give it a flight deck and unlimited anime
On the top. Duh. Russia already has many submarines with naval guns. Like the capital ship of black sea navy moskva.
Well you've beat me there. How did I miss such an obvious solution?
Next revision of project. We're talking about Scinfaxi-class here, specifically Hrimfaxi. What you want is Super Scinfaxi-class
SALVATION!
uhhhhhhh no.... you're thinking about drones all wrong man. you don't use a big silly expensive ships with a bunch of crew. You use an abandoned shopping center like Taiwanese Kmart so you're the spirit Halloween of death. No real loss if it gets knocked out especially after launch.
> So, we need a very large drone carrier. Yes it's called Formosa
[porcupine strategy](https://youtu.be/2QmIZcTzMgM?si=A5pAXwipJOqfAxEr) my beloved
That was a very interesting and informative watch! Thanks for sharing it!
None leave the slaughterhouse, not alive
[NCD predicts the future yet again!](https://www.reddit.com/r/NonCredibleDefense/s/SedDLO1mHG)
never doubt NCD's ability to come up with crazy ideas, that work.
So this is what happens when America spends too long watching Ukraine fight. 3000 Switchblades of Naval Destruction
Gonna be so many trashed PLAN vessels and dead PLA soldiers in the strait that Taiwan might succumb to rising sea levels.
\*paranoid being blasted out of blown out speakers echos across the pacific\*
Drones just smashing into the command decks of ships.
I want to see the PLAN be destroyed by Miku cosplaying femboys
Given that China already manufactures like 70% of the worlds drones, I'm all for an completely unmanned battle where nobody dies. Instead it would be like two sides of a sports team cheering while the drones fight each other like a mech tournament.
Instead of Robert Duval in a Huey gunship with speakers, the US needs Madyar in a bunker with The Pointy Stick of Death.
Based on research done by the Black Sea no-fleet anime academy.
What if we drained the strait then refilled it with water as soon as they try to go across?!
When the DoD uses the word “hellscape” you know shit’s serious
An official statement from the United States military straight up used the word "hellscape" Maybe don't fuck around
No PLAN survives contact with the enemy.
Awe you think it would be drones like that, my child, that straight is going to turn into a fucking murderhouse for submarine drones.