by Greg Rowlands
Scenario 1: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lite infantry platoon advances cautiously without tank support[1] along a narrow rubble strewn street inward a regional town, of late occupied past times an extremist group.[2] Then with no alarm a swarm of flying onset drones appears 100 meters frontwards of the Pb rifle section. Each semi-autonomous quad-copter[3] carries a nanoexplosive device, which when detonated acts every bit an anti-personnel grenade. As two-dozen+ ‘flying nano-grenades’ hurtle towards the rifle platoon, a prescient Section Commander does non hesitate inward ordering the rifle department to opened upwards fire. The drones are every bit good around telephone recall for indirect burn support, but accurate rifle as well as machine-gun burn destroys nearly of them.
Scenario 1: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lite infantry platoon advances cautiously without tank support[1] along a narrow rubble strewn street inward a regional town, of late occupied past times an extremist group.[2] Then with no alarm a swarm of flying onset drones appears 100 meters frontwards of the Pb rifle section. Each semi-autonomous quad-copter[3] carries a nanoexplosive device, which when detonated acts every bit an anti-personnel grenade. As two-dozen+ ‘flying nano-grenades’ hurtle towards the rifle platoon, a prescient Section Commander does non hesitate inward ordering the rifle department to opened upwards fire. The drones are every bit good around telephone recall for indirect burn support, but accurate rifle as well as machine-gun burn destroys nearly of them. However, some drones penetrate the platoon’s defensive occupation as well as detonate deadly payloads alongside the soldiers.[4] The soldiers are wearing advanced light-weight trunk armour, which provides some protection from the blasts, but many are wounded. Moreover, the swarm onset was entirely a diversion from the drone ambush (dronebush) massing downwards a side street on the platoon’s right flank. Fortunately, the quick-thinking Platoon Commander had anticipated their flanks were insecure as well as reorientated the platoon into all-round defensive posture. This fourth dimension in that location were to a greater extent than flying onset bots, but fifty-fifty with mutually supporting machine-gun, 40mm grenade as well as rifle burn a few of the drones movement to a greater extent than casualties. The platoon survives the ‘dronebush’, but they exhaust one-half of their ammunition as well as bring many injured soldiers to evacuate.
Scenario 2: After the Pb department (as per Scenario 1) identified the initial kamikaze drone swarm vectoring towards them, the grenadiers fired 40mm ‘acid’ rounds with proximity airburst fuses into the cloud of bots.[5] The quick-acting highly corrosive acid is optimised to melt drone components, so this volley of acid grenades apace defeats the leading drones. Then every bit the residuum around inside thirty meters, soldiers equipped with rifles burn spigot anti-drone rounds, which deploy nets disabling several drones mid-flight.[6] The few drones that approach to inside xv meters are engaged with gas-operated rapid-fire ‘glue-ball’ guns.[7] These guns utilisation paint-ball gun applied scientific discipline optimised to burn polymer balls filled with quick-setting viscid gum that blinds drone sensors as well as obstructs rotor systems, so they autumn from the sky. Then every bit the ‘dronebush’ masses on the right flank it is severely depleted past times accurate, withering burn from 2 Anti-Drone Gun Systems (Drone Phalanx Detachment) from the Battalion’s Anti-Drone Platoon.[8][9] The all-electric Drone Phalanx consists of a millimetric radar targeting organisation as well as a 7.62mm mini-gun mounted on a tracked chassis, like inward majority to a quad-motorbike.[10] Spigot drone nets as well as 40mm acid rounds farther sparse out the lethal swarm as well as several bots that breach the defensive perimeter are wrecked past times a fusillade of gum balls. So inward this option scenario, some soldiers are striking past times stray gum balls inward the counter-penetration fight, but none are wounded as well as the platoon retains its first-line small-scale arms ammunition load. The platoon so continues the mission.
While the ambush scenarios are speculation, the reality is that drone swarm technology is beingness developed as well as counter-drone systems are considered essential to defeat them. So it may entirely live a affair of fourth dimension earlier Australian soldiers are confronted with advanced drone attacks inward time to come conflicts. As Liddell-Hart correctly points out, decisive weapons are seen inward an undeveloped cast inward previous wars, so characteristic inward the adjacent state of war inward a to a greater extent than advanced configuration.[11] There are early on indicators of this inward the Middle-East, where ISIS modified commercially available fixed-wing drones to bomb targets. Therefore, it follows that to a greater extent than capable drones designed to acquit unopen combat swarm-bombing analogous to the ambush scenarios could eventuate.[12] Moreover, innovative munitions as well as weapon systems tailored to defeat drone threats volition locomote along to emerge.[13]
The offset ambush scenario highlights that massed small-scale arms fire, infantry combat tactics as well as world-class leadership may non live plenty to defeat a fast-moving drone swarm,[14] whereas the instant scenario illuminates how leveraging applied scientific discipline could live the unstated eleventh Principle of War.[15] Counter-drone technologies tin john yield effective defense forcefulness hence enabling the infantry platoon to last the swarm.[16][17] However, piece novel applied scientific discipline volition live a vital share of the solution, counter-drone combat doctrine as well as tactics volition also bespeak to evolve for warfighters to exercise as well as perfect. [18]
End Notes:
[1] In this scenario many of the streets are every bit good narrow for tanks to manoeuvre effectively or safely inward the town, so the platoon must rely on its ain resources to attain the mission.
[2] Regional- pregnant somewhere good due north of Commonwealth of Australia where a well-funded extremist insurgency has seized population centres some-time inward the instant decade of this century.
[3] Once assail an onset vector, these drones are able to navigate their agency to the target without human command inputs, which makes it to a greater extent than challenging to disrupt drone remote command links.
[4] Once the onset drones are amidst the soldiers inward their defensive seat the soldiers are unable to shoot them downwards with small-scale arms due to the really high run a hazard of fratricide.
[5] Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 proximity acid smash circular would bespeak to live optimised for utilisation against mechatronic targets only. Strict rules of appointment would live necessary to comply with Geneva Conventions as well as to ban the work of acid munitions against human combatants.
[6] Anti-drone spigot rounds comprise a capture internet that when fired deploys v tethered segments that extend as well as spin towards the targeted drone(s). The spinning internet envelops the drones inward flying causing them to crash.
[7] Several light-weight ‘glue-ball’ anti-drone weapons are carried per department for short-range anti-drone engagements. Like paint-ball applied scientific discipline used for entertainment, gum balls are non lethal to humans but may live effective inward disabling moving drones with exposed sensors as well as moving parts. These ‘proposed’ weapons may live essential inward urban operations where drone attacks could bring really brusk appointment ranges or may wing amidst the soldiers.
[8] This would live a miniaturised version of a Naval Phalanx but optimised for reason combat operations. It is envisaged that such a organisation could also live mounted on Army vehicles.
[9] An Anti-Drone Platoon (ADn Platoon) could live a novel forcefulness construction requirement inward lite of emerging drone threats. The ADn Platoon would live equipped with heavier anti-drone weapons, much the same agency that Anti-Tank Platoons inside Support Company were equipped. These heavy anti-drone weapons could so live chore organised with Combat Teams to optimise combined arms effects.
[10] The Drone Phalanx semi-autonomous organisation operates inward pairs as well as is trailed past times an electrical semi-autonomous tracked logistics drone. This LogBot hauls extra mini-gun ammunition, replacement high-capacity lithium-ion or solid-state batteries as well as solar voltaic rapid recharger panels to extend its patrol endurance.
[11] An lawsuit of this is how primitive tanks as well as early on aircraft appeared inward the First World War with applied scientific discipline limitations, but so inward World War II these combat systems were far to a greater extent than capable as well as decisive inward many battles. So every bit good may live the evolution trajectory for military machine drone technologies.
[12] Could include onset drone swarms equipped with shaped-charge nanoexplosives or multi-explosively formed penetrator devices designed to defeat armoured vehicles.
[13] Includes anti-drone Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation weapon developments.
[14] Small arms may nonetheless live required to destroy airborne drones inward some circumstances, so grooming soldiers to shoot downwards drones with rifles as well as machine-guns should live considered for time to come shooting grooming competencies.
[15] An Eleventh Principle of War is proposed, every bit arguably, Leveraging Technology has been an enduring as well as decisive cistron during war. Therefore, consideration should live given for this eleventh regulation to live enshrined inward foundation warfighting doctrine. The other 10 Principles of War include: Selection as well as Maintenance of the Aim, Concentration of Force, Cooperation, Economy of Effort, Security, Offensive Action, Surprise, Flexibility, Sustainment as well as Maintenance of Morale.
[16] Electromagnetic anti-drone weapons designed to disrupt drone command signals mightiness also characteristic every bit share of the drone defensive toolkit. However, advances inward cryptography as well as autonomy could realise uncertain results inward price of drone command signal disruption, so right away kinetic effects mightiness render greater mission assurance inward disabling threat drones. It may live worth trialling drone electronic counter-measures (DECM) for unopen forcefulness protection, like to how CIED technologies function.
[17] Sentry drones could also assistance with unopen combat defensive measures. Air-to-air ‘dog-fights’ may meet a cast of drones optimised to destroy threat drones inward mid-air, earlier they advance every bit good around ain forcefulness elements.
[18] Infantry nestling tactics as well as all-corps defensive measures volition ultimately bespeak to accommodate to emerging threats from increasingly lethal drones as well as autonomous systems.
Abe author: LTCOL Greg Rowlands is an infantry officeholder with 27 years of Army service. He is a graduate of the Army Command & Staff College as well as the Capability & Technology Management College
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
