US ops for swarm mini-drone plan for future combat

Washington Times:
...
“We do believe that small, unmanned aerial systems will be the cornerstone of Air Force [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] as we look through the next 20 years,” Lt. Gen. Robert Otto, deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, told Defense News.

Col. Brandon “BB” Baker, chief of the Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) capabilities division, concurred. The officer said enemies of the U.S. would much rather shoot down a single $20 million Reaper UAS than a swarm of Boeing’s RQ-21 Blackjacks, for example.

“You’ve really kind of messed with the adversary’s calculus in this case,” Col. Baker said, the website reported.
...
Other small drones are in the works including ones used by the Navy that pop up from floating pods.  Swarm strategy presents multiple targets to the enemy simultaneously making it difficult for a small force to respond.

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