If somebody took the time to train homing pidgeons to be attracted to jet airplanes, espescially their engines, then you could attach as many titanium beads to each pidgeon as it could carry, and then release them close to an enemy airport. It would then go somewhat like this- Pidgeon see's and hears plane engine and fly's toward it. by the time pidgeon realizes that this isn't a safe home it's too late because pidgeon is caught in suction. pidgeon goes into jet engine, titanium beads come off and then chew up the engine. effective with enough pidgeons, and reletivley cheap. or you could just use a swarm of locust with a titainium bead on each locust; and then the ones that didn't get to the planes would get to the enemy food suply.-- Cracked Helmut, Nov 13 2002 bar headed geese http://www.waterfow...a_pages/barhead.htmthis should do the trick [chud, Oct 04 2004] Solly http://www.xrefer.c...cid=.1.-&hh=1#s.1.-Pidgeon/Pidgin is a corruption of "business." [thumbwax, Oct 04 2004] <8thof7>Can we use cats?<8thof7>-- egbert, Nov 13 2002 [egbert] - only if you can fire them high enough.-- PeterSilly, Nov 13 2002 Actually, this isn't too far off from a tactic that was tested by the U.S. government during WWII under the direction of B.F. Skinner.-- Miss Ann Thrope, Nov 13 2002 You'll have problems finding pigeons that can fly fast or high enough to intercept a jet engine. I’m sure you’ll research the speed, accuracy, and endurance of many species, but I’d suggest falcons. (_!_) It’s possible to use cats, but only if you can get them to wear beads.-- Amos Kito, Nov 13 2002 [Amos Kito] I imagine the idea is to target airfields, trying to kill the 'planes engines on takeoff or landing - its most vulnerable flight phases. Easy to train pigeons to like airfields ....
The Russians did something similar in WW2 with the Dog Mine (and antitank weapon). It was not an outstanding success (especially for the unfortucnate canines). I suspect that this is capable of backfiring in a similar way.
[Egbert] Damn, you got there before me .....-- 8th of 7, Nov 14 2002 <compulsory Python> "What, an African swallow, or a European swallow ?" </compulsory Python>-- 8th of 7, Nov 14 2002 if you can get a couple ground troups carrying pidgeons or bugs within about 1\2 mile of an enemy base then they could fly into the jet intakes during takeoff and landing. untill they started getting shot, that is. and alphaman, they would have been living in a enviroment of fake jet engines (sound included) all the liveshort lives-- Cracked Helmut, Nov 14 2002 [Calum] that's what guns are for.-- Cracked Helmut, Nov 14 2002 Maybe it would be more effective to spray the target airfield with a powerful attractant (synthetic pheromone ?) that takes months to wear off and lures in all the pigeons for miles around ......
Just sneak in after dark and tip a few gallons of the stuff on the runway ......-- 8th of 7, Nov 14 2002 "In the news today, UN inspectors found a flock of homing pigeons in cages in one of Saddam's Palaces, the UN reacted swiftly to deescalate a threat of war from the Americans following the revelation..."-- RayfordSteele, Nov 14 2002 [8th of 7], The problem with the pigeon attractant is that birds of prey will also be attracted, and lots of birds of prey in the sky (not to mention a seething puddle of pigeons all over the runway) is somewhat noticeable. I should hope it is, anyway. Plus, the attractant defeats the purpose of the titanium beads on the pigeons unless you manage to catch evey single pigeon within miles and affix small beads to them. . .-- Mizuneko, Feb 16 2004 You seem to have a lot of good uses for a creature who's name you can't even spell.Also, have you been playing worms a lot recently? Exploding pigeons and all...-- NickTheGreat, Feb 17 2004 random, halfbakery