Comment by booleandilemma

Different configurations are better for different missions. Small suicide drones have very limited range, weak sensors, and can't carry much cargo or a large enough warhead to take out hardened targets. Hopefully we'll never get into a conflict with China, but if we do the platforms will have to be much larger just due to the greater ranges involved.

Range, for one, if what you're referring to as a mental model is 15" prop size quadcopters with an artillery shell strapped to them. For use <50km.

Now look at a photo of a human standing next to a shahed-136 size UAV for a totally different size scale.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2025/11/in-europe-the-p...