Drones are the latest “cool trend on the block.” This is because every country has them now and it drastically adds to the strength of their military forces. Whether they are fully automated and autonomous or have partial control, they are teeming with space-age technologies which make enemies wonder what was that thing that hit them in the most unexpected way.
The amazing features comprise speed, long range of flight, payload size, telemetry, and intelligent functionality. All these characteristics take a fortune to be incorporated in drones. Modern combat-oriented UAVs can go for up to tens of millions of dollars for every unit. There are less expensive options, but then that would also mean compromising on the advanced features.
But is there a possibility to reverse such an expensive trend? U.S. military is now testing a bit different water. Instead of using single units with a price tag of a million and beyond, a new unmanned aircraft model will be used. This would be one of the cheapest there ever have been. But they will be launched in swarms, almost like missiles. Then, they can perform multiple functions: jam communications, carry explosive munitions, or simply waste resources of the adversary.
Watch the video below introducing the concept of the LOCUST (Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology) drone swarm launcher:
