Comment by pfdietz
2 days ago
The guidance bit should be quite cheap now though, compared to decades ago. Some combination of MEMS backed up with GPS.
2 days ago
The guidance bit should be quite cheap now though, compared to decades ago. Some combination of MEMS backed up with GPS.
And software. The Ukrainian drones largely run on the open-source Ardupilot.
GPS is fairly easy to jam, and despite the purported end of Selective Availability, unencrypted GPS can be turned off entirely without affecting US military GPS. Cruise missiles have been using terrain models for decades now, since well before GPS (a major reason high-resolution DTED used to be classified) which just requires a computationally cheap particle filter and appropriate sensors. We can expect belligerents in upcoming conflicts to maintain strategic stockpiles of the relevant electronics, which are more compact than even cocaine or fentanyl and therefore difficult to blockade.
Also depending on how many corners you're willing to cut. Half the cost but a 1% chance that it turns around and targets a friendly? Some countries would take that trade.
Like the Apex boats in Operation Dragoon.
https://www.oldsaltblog.com/2024/08/apex-boats-the-unlikely-...
"On the landing beach at Baie de Pampelonne, most Apex boats exploded against the obstacles. Nevertheless, one ran aground, and one sank. A third reversed course and turned back out to sea before exploding near Sub-chaser #1029 and severely damaging it."
One could argue all those Mk 14 torpedoes that malfunctioned and went onto circular paths also counted.