In the latest iteration of anti-drone warfare the drone itself turns out to be the most effective method in eliminating surveillance drones. They bump or detonate a small charge which destroys the attacking drone as well as the target. In some cases the damage is significant enough and the target drone is repairable.

What a waste!!! Why not make a certain kill and get your weapon back?

Using the Gumball Grenade munition safely murders the target and allows the friendly drone to go home and work again. This is a small grenade with short sticky hanging "legs." Deployed from above the target, the GG is plonked onto the target and a delayed explosion destroys it. The munition is meant to break away from a weakened link so the drone can pull safely away after planting it.

It is deployed from a closed carrier pod that extends the right amount of line, at the end of which is the sticky grenade and its sticky legs.
-- minoradjustments, Sep 15 2024

What is the expected use scenario here? I have a concern about these being used over or near populated areas and shrapnel raining down on folks.
-- 21 Quest, Sep 16 2024


I have a concern about these being dispensed from gumball machines.
-- pertinax, Sep 16 2024


I think a better idea is to combine the sticky grenade with Voice's idea Marko! Polo! Marko! Bang. ie to drop a sticky marker on the target then use its transmitted signal to guide whatever munitions are dispatched. This way a cheap drone the size of a sparrow could end up destroying something as large as a moving ship.
-- xenzag, Sep 16 2024


//What a waste!!! Why not make a certain kill and get your weapon back?//

A few reasons.

1. Having to maneuver above something and release something that then sticks onto the target? No, this is too difficult. Remember, these things might be buzzing about like mosquitos, there's wind, partial jamming, video/control latency that might be as much as 200ms.

2. With drones, suicide is a feature not a bug. You want to bring your drone back? Great, now it's range/payload is halved. They're cheap, $500 or so, probably less given bulk rates. They run the batteries to destruction and blowing them up leaves no evidence of the current electronic trickery they might be using.

3. With some kind of explosive & fragmentation system, the chances of getting a kill are very good. Your best chance is a big fragmentation warhead, get reasonably close: boom! 360 degree sphere of fast-moving metal death. That's it. This is exactly the system used on hugely expensive air-to-air missile like the AMRAAM at a cool half a million each.

There might well be a role for drones that go and grab other drones for intel reasons, maybe a trained eagle could be the way to go //I have a concern about these being used over or near populated areas and shrapnel raining down on folks.//

The more popular drones in use in Ukraine/Russia now are pretty small and low altitude. They don't contain many/any parts with sufficient density that it's do any serious damage. Maybe if you were looking up?
-- bs0u0155, Sep 16 2024


[bu0u] This is not meant to retrieve an enemy drone. If you've seen recent vids of UAF drones diving into their prey, the recon drones that spot for artillery, you've seen the incredible control it takes to collide with one. The kamikaze dive is always preceded by a number of swoops and orientation maneuvers, The Gumball Grenade, with its sticky breakaway lanyard and short sticky legs, is just a small frag grenade with a refined delivery system. If you can hit one of these things dead on you certainly should be able to troll right over one with your GG hanging down. If you miss the prey never knows it; you are always above it. You just go back until you get contact. The lanyard breaks away and you look for new targets.

The problem with kamikaze contact is that it often does not destroy the drone; only disabling its flight. The fancy Russian drones cost $3-500K and deploy a parachute if disabled in any way. You really want to blow it up thoroughly with frags and not just bring it down any which way. The UAF is working on a recoilless solution for drones' kinetic attacks. This is getting interesting.

You know of the "Baba Yaga" night bombing drone with 4 82mm mortar shells? They want that one back. I would assume a specialized high altitude recon drone killer would merit more missions, or more enemies taken down on a single flight. The highest takedown to date was over 10,000' by a sacrificial drone specked for the altitude.
-- minoradjustments, Sep 16 2024



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