[r9etb]

We should build ten dummy drones for every real Predator. They would cost only a few thou each, and just run circles on GPS, no sat link, no remote guidance. Very very cheap, and great psyops.

And for not much more -- maybe another couple of thousand -- you could put reasonably good optics on 'em (good enough to spot tanks, say) and set up a common downlink or satellite link. Switch between 'em like security cameras in a store, and you've got psyops and utility.

And what the hell -- stick a couple of pounds of C4 onboard too, so that when they find some high-value target nearby they can give it some coordinates, and steer to it using GPS.

None of it's high-tech stuff. You could do pretty well, for not a lot.

[Travis McGee]

Good valid points, as long as the dummy drones don't get loaded up with capability until they are just as expensive as real Predators.

The criticalr restriction at this time is available sat bandwidth to handle all the video etc. The beauty of dummies is that they just fly passively on GPS, then return and land themselves at the end of a mission. Cameras and sat links, and you are talking another animal, even if the sat time is only used selectively.