0
$\begingroup$

I need a weapon pod for anti-drone use to be mounted on a plane.

The plane's performance is (roughly) equal to the Japanese Ki-10 biplane, but without all the extra combat bits attached (guns, ammo, armor, etc), so basically a stripped down Ki-10.

Weight limit for said weapon is about 45 kg, but can be increased to 75 kg if needed (that limit includes any needed ammo so be careful).

Assume drone's flight performance is on par with other earlier drones, like the MQ 1 predator.

Jamming equipment has already been added, and this part of the weapon pod is there to supplement the jamming equipment in case it fails or if for whatever reason you need the drone to be quickly converted to smithereens.

This plane, while having the performance of an older craft, is itself pretty brand new (just in year of manufacturing and not In technologies used) so its pretty reliable and probably has the best performance of its lifetime.

Other than jamming equipment, what other weapon(s) should this plane carry to fight said drone?

Edit: the the question is unclear, I realize.

This plane has the (performance) of the Ki 10, but is not (actually) a ki 10. It's a moder plane, with a modern electric motor, that is (as powerful as) the ki 10's motor, but is not a 1935 motor. The Ki 10 was just an example, a convenience.

The "jamming equipment" (I know, not too specific) was powered by said electric motor.

The idea was actually "what can you stick on this biplane to make sure it can not get shot downthe drone in question?" Assume the (human) pilot of the plane can see the drone already.

This question can also be "how can this plane avoid getting shot by those missles, and get close enough to use its machine guns?(yes, I'm putting the MGs back on, the question has changed)". Yeah, thats a better question.

. Although those answers for alternate anti-drone weapons were indeed amazing, imma screenshot those.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
6
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Realistically? The presence a a human pilot doesn't make a plane better, on the contrary. Which is to say, the today drone planes can be made (already are?) usually a better weapon than most modern planes. An 1935 design won't stand a chance against a heat seeking AAM shot from 20km away, far off any old planes can extend their jamming or destruction capabilities. Your Ki-10 better engage only Air-to-Ground or surveillance drones, but again those tend to fly at altitudes unattainable by a piloted Ki-10. $\endgroup$
    – Adrian Colomitchi
    Nov 15, 2021 at 3:49
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ It's unclear what the question is here. The Ki-10 has a 400 km/h top speed vs the the 217 km/h of a Predator-like drone, so the Ki-10 can just fly up to it and damage it with its normal armaments. The Ki-10 has a higher service ceiling (11,500 m vs 7,600 m) as well, so the drone mas no means of avoiding it. $\endgroup$
    – GrumpyYoungMan
    Nov 15, 2021 at 3:59
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Sorry, but exactly what is the tech level of the weapons to be used? Are we talking slightly past WW1 tech vs. futuristic drones, or simply a slow but modern aircraft vs. modern drones? In WW1 they were taking pot-shots at each other w. shotguns before machine guns. It also matters what the drones are doing and how they are made/what materials. $\endgroup$
    – DWKraus
    Nov 15, 2021 at 4:38
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ How is your 1935 biplane providing a power supply to your modern jamming tech? Any weapon you want to use to take on a Predator drone will (most likely) require such a power supply as well $\endgroup$
    – nullpointer
    Nov 15, 2021 at 6:41
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Could we please have clarification on the technologies available and used by both the plane and the drone? Of special interest is the extremely anachronistic drone-jamming device the Biplane possesses. Also what weapons (if any) the drone uses. Also what level of autonomy(if any) the drone possesses? $\endgroup$
    – PcMan
    Nov 15, 2021 at 9:30

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
6
$\begingroup$

Nets or a gun

The whole premise of the plane seems to be to take out a drone like the predator. I was thinking of all kinds of elaborate ways, like a directional EMP and the like, but not knowing the exact specs of the predator for things like EMP resistance makes it difficult. Especially with a 45kg weight limit.

Then I realised it is quite easy. The biplane is faster and can get greater height. The drone can't spot him electronically with radar and similar. That leaves 'visual' targeting, but drones are generally build to look down. They don't have large visuals up, especially as it relies on the electronic detection systems. That means the biplane can fly high above the drone, intercept it with higher speed (400km/h vs 217km/h) and drop down in it's blind spot.

Once close, you can use pretty cheap systems to kill it. You can use a simple (automated) gun and shoot it. As far as I know these drones aren't heavily armoured. But in case they are, you can use a simple net. Drop it on the predator, jam the propellor and a multimillion dollar plane just falls out of the sky thanks to a 30 dollar net. With the weight restriction you probably can have several nets, so you can kill several in one flight.

Technically you can use a 45 kilo armoured section to drop down and ram the predator out of the sky as well.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
$\begingroup$

You need a weapon, that masses under 45kg, by which this
enter image description here
(1935 tech Japanese Biplane Top speed: 400km/h Weaponry: 2 x fixed forward-firing .303 guns REMOVED Effective weapon range: 500m (but removed) )

can protect itself against this
enter image description here
(1995 tech American drone
Top speed: only 217 km/h Weaponry: 4 × Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) (MQ-1B)
Effective weapon range: 5000m )

Ok, so we have a fast but defenceless biplane, against a slow but lethal surface-attack drone with very limited anti-air combat capabilities.

There is a mass limit of 45kg for a defensive system for the biplane.

The biplane can fly circles around the drone, no problem. It is twice as fast, can fly twice as high, and is immensely more maneuverable than the drone. Getting away is trivial.

But the biplane will have difficulty finding and seeing the drone, whereas the drone's synthetic aperture radar will highlight the biplane from many kilometers away. Even at night. Even in clouds or smoke. The biplane cannot hide, only run.

The drone is slow, but it can see the biplane. It can kill the enemy 100% if it gets within 5km range. And it has EIGHT TIMES the flight endurance. The drone can fly, and fly, and fly, and fly. The shortrange, high-performance biplane has to land for fuel and pilot rest.

But if it wants to engage, there is only one tool it could use:
enter image description here
Some Prayer Beads.
Because it will require Divine Intervention to stand any chance in actual combat.

As for "Jamming equipment has already been added, ".... It your flying and engine tech is limited to 1935 Biplane, just how are you planning on jamming 1990's top-of-the-line radar?

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
4
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ This answer assumes that they are using an actual Ki-10 while the question specifically says "similar performance, but brand new plane with anti-radar jamming equipment". As it stands, it is answering a question nobody asked. $\endgroup$
    – Rekesoft
    Nov 15, 2021 at 7:50
  • $\begingroup$ @Rekesoft if hey have access to MAGIC radar-jamming, then why not use that same MAGIC to shoot unicorns at the drone, and convert it to their side? Combining Biplane technology with unspecified and unknowable ultramodern tech makes absolutely no sense. That's like asking about the affectiveness of a Roman Legionaire, who happens to have a T-1000 Terminator at his disposal. $\endgroup$
    – PcMan
    Nov 15, 2021 at 8:21
  • $\begingroup$ @Rekesoft the Ki-10 is 1935 tech. It is up against a 1995 tech drone. It requires 2018 tech to be able to jam the drone. (russia finally managed to jam US's drones over Syria in 2018). Does that sound realistic to you? $\endgroup$
    – PcMan
    Nov 15, 2021 at 8:36
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @PcMan since the question specifically mentions that the plane is brand-new with new technologies but just with the flight performance of a Ki-10 it would stand to reason that 2018 tech or higher is available to the aircraft, both to avoid detection and to detect the drone. This leaves just the weapon: what weapon with a weight limit of 45kg could best be used to destroy the predator drone? I suggest you re-read the question because you have multiple wrong assumptions directly opposite to what the question clearly states. $\endgroup$
    – Demigan
    Nov 15, 2021 at 9:10
1
$\begingroup$

Custard guns

Super sticky custard blobs fired from high power fully automatic compressed air spud guns.

The non-Newtonian fluid qualities of the custard means it hits like a rock & if it fails to put the drone out of business that way it sticks to the drone to gunk up any moving parts & add weight helping to degrade speed & manoeuvrability.

Get enough on the thing & it literally falls out of the sky.

Strawberry is nice but I prefer vanilla.

Use any other non-Newtonian 'fluid' if you prefer.

But custard has the advantage of a convenient snack option if you get peckish mid mission.

It's also good for morale (everyone likes custard) & the enemy will think you don't take them seriously & are laughing at them (so bad for theirs).

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
$\begingroup$

Sniper.

sniper

source

She weighs 32 kg as depicted but 36 with her flight suit on. The rifle weighs 10. The rest of the weight is the pod itself and ammo. She is posted in the pod and she watches. The rifle is mounted so it can swing around to cover 360 degrees, and the recoil is absorbed by the pod, not her.

She has practiced a lot. She is a very good shot.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ I'm sorry, I'm not good at communicating, but was that a joke? Idk about you, but I don't plan on ductaping ANYONE to my wing and calling her "a weapon pod". Besides, Project Wingman already took that one $\endgroup$
    – KombatAce
    Nov 18, 2021 at 23:42

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .