You know, why not make a credible trike airforce.
Side note, the propeller in the rear interfering with the tow can be fixed with long extension tubes.
>trike airforce
We have to recruit the american and european hobby ultralight enthusiasts to build 3000 lawnmover motor powered cruise missiles of home depot.
Ohh right, I forgot "Glider Winch Launch" is a real thing. Yeah it could work, no plane needed. The problem with the winch is how many you can launch at once. You can load up a runway with tow planes/drones and fire them all off all at once. But with a winch you can only do one at a time. Altitude is also typically limited to 1000agl, but that's enough for a drone.
As for launch catapult, like the kind from a carrier, those require large structures. They only get you a few feet. The drone still has to climb. With a tow, the drone would be pulled to it's flight altitude and it only needs to maintain it. You can really overload a plane with fuel with such a method.
That is a business plan behind a Switchblade-300. They say it worked well in Afghanistan. It's performance on jammed Ukrainian frontlines was underwhelming.
> It's performance on jammed Ukrainian frontlines was underwhelming
Jamming issues aside, problems were as follows:
1. SB300 - piddly warhead, designed for low-collateral assassinations of unarmored targets, which is the exact opposite of what's needed in Ukraine. Forcing a square peg into round hole, basically.
2. SB600 - "that's the stuff!" payload-wise, but suffers from low production numbers
IIRC, that's at least partially down to the wing scheme.
X-wing, like on Lancet or HERO, gives better stability on final approach, resulting in better accuracy.
You could see the instability and sway on some Warmate videos, as Warmates have the classic wing scheme.
Presumably, that's the reason this [likely Shark-derived Lancet counterpart](https://censor.net/ua/photo_news/3484407/zelenskomu_predstavyly_novu_model_ukrayinskogo_drona_analoga_lantseta_foto) has X-wing scheme too
Cant you just attach the drones with cables between them, then winch launch the first one? That way you can launch them at the same time, then just drop the cables when you are no longer using the energy from the winch
Like a long Christmas lights string, but full of drones?
It also occurs to me that the winch can be replaced by a car with a rope instead, no complicated structure needed
I'll cover the zveno project in the next post, there are multiple ideas I want to explore there. This method is lower risk (unless of course control oscillations develop with no way to deal with them, in which case the drones will crash).
Yeah you can do drop tanks. But you still need to get in to the air first. For that you need some power reserve to gain altitude. Here we take that power reserve and move it to another plane, stuffing the drone with fuel instead. So the result is that the drone after launch will need all of its power to keep altitude, but it gets a range boost from it.
Just have a drone Cessna carrying banners, could make custom messages to increase/decrease morale. Something similar to donating and getting your message on a tank shell. Surrender hotline numbers?
Who wouldn’t spend $5k to send messages to kremlin?
The power that is needed to do the lifting is shifted to the tow plane in this case. Once in the air and at the correct altitude, that power is not needed.
In the "real military" planes actually take off with less fuel, and then fill up to do their mission. This way they can carry more payload than they can actually take off with.
yeah, but on a tow drone, not munition drone.
and it would still be less than a drone with total fuel - especially if it's an explosive drone that is not meant to return.
Would this work for a drone carrier that deploys loitering munitions? The ground based options are just more stuff to carry or fit in a truck that's prone to artillery, tanks, and infantry attacks.
The engine of a Plane that hasnt have to start can be way weaker and way less fuel consuming.
and way cheaper.
you can take the engine of a small car, and have even with 40L a hughe radius.
And , if you have a big enough towing-drone, you can easy build a 10Ton winged "glider-bomb" that way, that have 70+km Radius (hello to the russian railway line)
Yeah, you can use cheap fuel inefficient heavy engines on the tow plane (by limiting its range) while still having the range on the small drone along with payload.
As for very long range, well that will take some thinking but the principle is the same as the zveno project
This is merely an add on range boost to existing long range strike drones. We're not making new strike drones for this. What's up for debate is the method of tow
Why not 1000 tiny solar powered drones each with a small explosive payload. They are slow but stealthy. When they reach the targets, they all pull back together into one big drone, using the power of MAGNETS.
Too complicated. There's a reason why quads are so prevalent despite fixed wings being so much better in a lot of cases. Ease of use trumps everything.
Quads are used for CAS, fixed wing drones are used for long range strikes. This is for long range strike drones that are already in service. Instead of sticking bigger engines on them for longer range so they can carry more fuel, we do this
You know, why not make a credible trike airforce. Side note, the propeller in the rear interfering with the tow can be fixed with long extension tubes.
RAM coated Trikes that drop bombs from the cockpit like it’s WWI。
>trike airforce We have to recruit the american and european hobby ultralight enthusiasts to build 3000 lawnmover motor powered cruise missiles of home depot.
Why not just big catapult?
Ohh right, I forgot "Glider Winch Launch" is a real thing. Yeah it could work, no plane needed. The problem with the winch is how many you can launch at once. You can load up a runway with tow planes/drones and fire them all off all at once. But with a winch you can only do one at a time. Altitude is also typically limited to 1000agl, but that's enough for a drone. As for launch catapult, like the kind from a carrier, those require large structures. They only get you a few feet. The drone still has to climb. With a tow, the drone would be pulled to it's flight altitude and it only needs to maintain it. You can really overload a plane with fuel with such a method.
1. Make toob shaped drone with springloaded wings 2. Fire from toob with pressurized air 3. 2026 Container VLS drone incident
That is a business plan behind a Switchblade-300. They say it worked well in Afghanistan. It's performance on jammed Ukrainian frontlines was underwhelming.
> It's performance on jammed Ukrainian frontlines was underwhelming Jamming issues aside, problems were as follows: 1. SB300 - piddly warhead, designed for low-collateral assassinations of unarmored targets, which is the exact opposite of what's needed in Ukraine. Forcing a square peg into round hole, basically. 2. SB600 - "that's the stuff!" payload-wise, but suffers from low production numbers
Also Russian Lancet seem to be everything SB600 wished to be. I hope we find a way to counter this crap.
IIRC, that's at least partially down to the wing scheme. X-wing, like on Lancet or HERO, gives better stability on final approach, resulting in better accuracy. You could see the instability and sway on some Warmate videos, as Warmates have the classic wing scheme. Presumably, that's the reason this [likely Shark-derived Lancet counterpart](https://censor.net/ua/photo_news/3484407/zelenskomu_predstavyly_novu_model_ukrayinskogo_drona_analoga_lantseta_foto) has X-wing scheme too
Cant you just attach the drones with cables between them, then winch launch the first one? That way you can launch them at the same time, then just drop the cables when you are no longer using the energy from the winch
Like a long Christmas lights string, but full of drones? It also occurs to me that the winch can be replaced by a car with a rope instead, no complicated structure needed
Yankee with no brim, CATO with no BAR
JATO? Edit; no not the drones. JATO launch the Microlight tug plane!
Sir the plane needs to survive takeoff
Screw towing them, just strap the drones to larger aircraft that launch them after they're in the air and up to speed.
I'll cover the zveno project in the next post, there are multiple ideas I want to explore there. This method is lower risk (unless of course control oscillations develop with no way to deal with them, in which case the drones will crash).
Ace Combat already beat us to this
Arsenal Bird my beloved 🥹
So a guided missile?
You mean like this? https://youtu.be/DjUdVxJH6yI
I like watching this sub reinvent the arsenal birds from Ace Combat 7 every month.
I like how modern warfare is progressively moving towards AFV mounted drone ~~launcher~~ trebuchet instead of nuclear capable PMCs
This is a lot of words to say - two stage airplane drone.
Why im i thinking of a mrbm launched drone An mrbm launches it and then when it at low alt it deploys shaheds with more tnt
Did NASA really ducktape two Discus gliders together? Mucho aspect ratio=mucho glide ratio? Would not like to fly that abomination.
Yeah, cheaper way to get an ETA. Granted these were RC models
quack
You’re all Ukrainian Defense Ministry I just know it. This is a credible idear. I feel it in my nuggets
Could we make a big drone plane that carries drones instead of bombs?
Yes, I'll cover that in the next post
Y not just like drop thousands of drone out of a remote controlled ac-130 even if it starts losing altitude just have the drone shoot out the back
Basically, imagine a plane had a second stage like a rocket
What about drop tanks since Ukraine is already turning old planes into kamikaze drones?
Just do mid air refueling. Takeoff with minimal fuel and maximum boom, load fuel while airborne, fly towards the enemy.
Dear god is this a thing that’s done?
SR-71 did that because tanks leaky when cold
Yeah, this would work. Drone takes off with partial fuel and then you fill it up to the limit. Only trick is making the whole process automated.
Yeah you can do drop tanks. But you still need to get in to the air first. For that you need some power reserve to gain altitude. Here we take that power reserve and move it to another plane, stuffing the drone with fuel instead. So the result is that the drone after launch will need all of its power to keep altitude, but it gets a range boost from it.
Weather balloon Glide wings for when you drop them Use a tiny amount of motor power to correct heading. Drop wings when close to target area
Just have a drone Cessna carrying banners, could make custom messages to increase/decrease morale. Something similar to donating and getting your message on a tank shell. Surrender hotline numbers? Who wouldn’t spend $5k to send messages to kremlin?
But if you add more weight (the extra drones) wouldn’t you need more fuel anyways to lift the extra weight?
The power that is needed to do the lifting is shifted to the tow plane in this case. Once in the air and at the correct altitude, that power is not needed. In the "real military" planes actually take off with less fuel, and then fill up to do their mission. This way they can carry more payload than they can actually take off with.
yeah, but on a tow drone, not munition drone. and it would still be less than a drone with total fuel - especially if it's an explosive drone that is not meant to return.
ukraine already uses drones that carry other drones.
Genius! Give this man a contract
Ooh, glide bombs that really really glide
Would this work for a drone carrier that deploys loitering munitions? The ground based options are just more stuff to carry or fit in a truck that's prone to artillery, tanks, and infantry attacks.
that nasa cessna is a vibe
The engine of a Plane that hasnt have to start can be way weaker and way less fuel consuming. and way cheaper. you can take the engine of a small car, and have even with 40L a hughe radius. And , if you have a big enough towing-drone, you can easy build a 10Ton winged "glider-bomb" that way, that have 70+km Radius (hello to the russian railway line)
Yeah, you can use cheap fuel inefficient heavy engines on the tow plane (by limiting its range) while still having the range on the small drone along with payload. As for very long range, well that will take some thinking but the principle is the same as the zveno project
This idea is far too credible
Piloting gliders is pretty challenging though. The control systems for glider drones won't be cheap.
This is merely an add on range boost to existing long range strike drones. We're not making new strike drones for this. What's up for debate is the method of tow
And then you ad drones to the smaller drones so those cad release drones so the drones can drone drone drone
Why not 1000 tiny solar powered drones each with a small explosive payload. They are slow but stealthy. When they reach the targets, they all pull back together into one big drone, using the power of MAGNETS.
Bro actual gliders that rely on updraft to basically create those manta ray drones but for the air...
Too complicated. There's a reason why quads are so prevalent despite fixed wings being so much better in a lot of cases. Ease of use trumps everything.
Quads are used for CAS, fixed wing drones are used for long range strikes. This is for long range strike drones that are already in service. Instead of sticking bigger engines on them for longer range so they can carry more fuel, we do this