Mostly I think your thought process is quite good! But if you list out the design constraints of your logistic drone: (deliver airborn self guided munitions into maximally hostile area) vs the design constraints of a modern attack aircraft (deliver airborn guided munitions into maximally hostile area) you’ll find that they’re the same constraints- so likely a fully optimized logistics drone is going to just be an F35 or MQ9. This assumes that dropping mesh-networked batteries on parachutes or even just fresh drones will work better than landing the mothership or docking to recharge.
I think thats the key takeaway- most of the killing will be done by the small drone infantry as you described, the air war still controls where the small drone infantry can deploy, the small drone infantry has limited ability to affect the air war.
OK don’t agree with that—I think there is great benefit to flying low/slow/cheap. For a start the logistics drones wont be in maximally hostile—the other drones will have taken care of anything that could easily destroy a logistics drone. I was thinking of this drone as a logistics drone, but I its load is too low. Instead imagine the logistics drones are modified fixed wing from micro-light to Cessna specs (single prop, chemical powered). This gives large range and reasonable carrying capacity. Add some elec powered quadcopter like rotors for short bursts of power. This could fly low over roads as i have said, and even perhaps have strengthened landing gear wheels so it can cruise along the road to save fuel. The elec rotors let it take off much faster than normal aircraft. It could be say $~100K rather than F35 cost.
I don’t see how this can be easily attacked by bombs—for a start the bomb needs to out-run it laterally. Secondly if the bomb is locking onto the rotor, then it will be giving off radar and be able to be picked up and targeted. How is it going to stop a cheaper suicide drone exploding next to its fins and disabling them so it can’t track?
If it can handle that, then how will it tell from prop signature which is a logistics drone vs cheap drone? Cheap drones could deliberately have a similar rotor signature or spoof one with a radar transmitter.
When the bomb is detected (say 10 seconds warning) how about if the logistics drone stops its propellor, and puts a brake on it to slow it down fast, at the same time as the jet powered drone mentioned before takes off from it? Surely the bomb will be tricked into chasing and not catching that instead?
Finally (and I am not expert on radar) can the prop signal be concealed by a metal plate mounted above it (think a spoiler but over the front and square) thus blocking the signal from say +20% from any angle above. Can the plate be filled with material that will either absorb or reflect radar so that the prop underneath cannot be detected?
Mostly I think your thought process is quite good! But if you list out the design constraints of your logistic drone: (deliver airborn self guided munitions into maximally hostile area) vs the design constraints of a modern attack aircraft (deliver airborn guided munitions into maximally hostile area) you’ll find that they’re the same constraints- so likely a fully optimized logistics drone is going to just be an F35 or MQ9. This assumes that dropping mesh-networked batteries on parachutes or even just fresh drones will work better than landing the mothership or docking to recharge.
I think thats the key takeaway- most of the killing will be done by the small drone infantry as you described, the air war still controls where the small drone infantry can deploy, the small drone infantry has limited ability to affect the air war.
OK don’t agree with that—I think there is great benefit to flying low/slow/cheap. For a start the logistics drones wont be in maximally hostile—the other drones will have taken care of anything that could easily destroy a logistics drone. I was thinking of this drone as a logistics drone, but I its load is too low. Instead imagine the logistics drones are modified fixed wing from micro-light to Cessna specs (single prop, chemical powered). This gives large range and reasonable carrying capacity. Add some elec powered quadcopter like rotors for short bursts of power. This could fly low over roads as i have said, and even perhaps have strengthened landing gear wheels so it can cruise along the road to save fuel. The elec rotors let it take off much faster than normal aircraft. It could be say $~100K rather than F35 cost.
I don’t see how this can be easily attacked by bombs—for a start the bomb needs to out-run it laterally. Secondly if the bomb is locking onto the rotor, then it will be giving off radar and be able to be picked up and targeted. How is it going to stop a cheaper suicide drone exploding next to its fins and disabling them so it can’t track?
If it can handle that, then how will it tell from prop signature which is a logistics drone vs cheap drone? Cheap drones could deliberately have a similar rotor signature or spoof one with a radar transmitter.
When the bomb is detected (say 10 seconds warning) how about if the logistics drone stops its propellor, and puts a brake on it to slow it down fast, at the same time as the jet powered drone mentioned before takes off from it? Surely the bomb will be tricked into chasing and not catching that instead?
Finally (and I am not expert on radar) can the prop signal be concealed by a metal plate mounted above it (think a spoiler but over the front and square) thus blocking the signal from say +20% from any angle above. Can the plate be filled with material that will either absorb or reflect radar so that the prop underneath cannot be detected?