A drone with a white plastic PET cylinder around it to protect it from the paintball shots. Programmed to fly any number of erratic courses.

Now ok, there's no way, NO way this hasn't been done already right? But doing a search I only found a drone equipped to FIRE paintballs, but no reference to a drone specifically set up as a target.

Again, I'm positive this has to have been done, I'm just not finding it. Any links supplied will result in a WKTE takedown of this idea. But if not, wow! Somebody needs to get on this.

Incidentally, the link showing the effectiveness of the paintball shooting drone really shows that the future of close air support is swarms of semi-autonomous gunship drones. Once these are setup to track and counter attack any ground based anti aircraft fire there really is no defense against these.

UPDATE: Real gun alternative. A variation of this would be a drone trailing a standard paper target that you'd shoot with a regular gun.

This allows you to actually shoot for as long as you had cheap paper targets rather than until you ran out of expensive drones.
-- doctorremulac3, Sep 29 2016

Paintball FIRING drone. https://www.youtube...watch?v=n646mT3LuhU
Looking for one set up specifically as a target. [doctorremulac3, Sep 29 2016]

What's inside? https://www.youtube...watch?v=KWkHFYPgMpA
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 29 2016]

"Feds crack down on 'shoot a drone' gatherings" http://www.today.com/video/today/55895105
[beanangel, Sep 29 2016]

Very cool.
-- theircompetitor, Sep 29 2016


Depending on your local time zone, this may well be the best idea of your entire day. [+]
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 29 2016


Sounds kindof expensive?
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 29 2016


I don't know, I was thinking of just basically putting a PET skirt, the stuff that milk cartons are made of around it. Have it attached by rubber bands so it has a little give when it gets hit.

I want one of these. Wonder if I can patent it.
-- doctorremulac3, Sep 29 2016


um I looked up "drone skeet shooting" and found the link
-- beanangel, Sep 29 2016


If you give up on the drone idea can I have the PET skirt? No need for rubber bands because I already got a lot of give.
-- bungston, Sep 29 2016


Wow! Crazy link. Not the fact that they're shooting down drones that are a lot more expensive than clay pigeons with shotguns, but that the FAA is shutting them down because you can't have a commercial venture that uses drones. What about selling drones? Isn't that a commercial venture using drones?

Has our government gone insane?

Oh, yea, right. They have.
-- doctorremulac3, Sep 29 2016


Paintballing a drone camera is a fantastic idea. Blurring the eye in the sky without permanant damage.
-- wjt, Sep 30 2016


This gives me a totally cool idea to research.

To the internet!
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 30 2016


Hmm. I'm intrigued. Keep us posted.
-- doctorremulac3, Sep 30 2016


Yeah the regulation here seems a bit strange. So, charge them for an expensive bottled water or wine- tasting and organize the drone shoot as a 'free side event.'

Keep it away from airports and such and what's the worry?
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 30 2016


That 'shoot a drone' article is from 2014. Now in 2016 the FAA has released regulations for commercial drone use. From reading a summary I don't see anything that would prevent this use. Of course if every individual drone needs to be registered that could increase the cost somewhat. Hopefully they could arrange registration for a series of drones.

For this idea where the drone is not intended to be destroyed, there shouldn't be a problem.
-- scad mientist, Sep 30 2016


//Keep it away from airports and such and what's the worry?//

Yea right? I don't get it.
-- doctorremulac3, Sep 30 2016


//I'm intrigued. Keep us posted//

Crap. I want to so much. When this stuff pops into my head out of the blue I have no clue if it's right or not and you guys know all of the stuff that I don't.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 30 2016


//Ruston Proctor Aerial Target of 1916

Presuming no connection to proctology?
-- not_morrison_rm, Sep 30 2016


You know, a variation of this would be a drone trailing a standard paper target that you'd shoot with a regular gun.

This allows you to actually shoot for as long as you had cheap paper targets rather than until you ran out of expensive drones.
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 01 2016



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