Terrifying ‘flying grenade’ drone wipes out enemies 6 MILES away – and can even loiter in sky for an ambush
FLYING grenades could soon swoop across the world's battlefields, obliterating anything in their path.
The Drone-40 is an explosive charge with helicopter-style rotors attached that can be flown into enemy targets and detonated remotely.
Loaded into a conventional grenade launcher, the low-cost 40mm munition was shown off at an arms conference in Florida last month.
Shaped like an oversized bullet, once fired the Drone-40 deploys four rotors that help it stay aloft.
The gadget can reportedly fly for 12 minutes or hover for 20, allowing it to loiter in the sky for ambushes. Multiple drones can be launched at once to swarm enemies.
With a range of six miles and a cruising speed of 45 miles per hour, the weapon is designed to add range and punch to scenarios where infantry would otherwise be outranged and outmatched.
Built by Melbourne-based defence tech firm DefendTex, it's not clear if any militaries plan to use the gizmo.
When not carrying an anti-personnel or anti-tank munition as payload, it can be used for non-lethal operations.
That's through smoke grenade or reconnaissance sensors that infantry can also attach to the drone.
Soldier Systems : "With these mixed of payload types, Drone-40 can be used individually, paired, or as a swarm, to a variety of effects.
"For example, a team could launch one or more ISR configured munitions along with a swarm of anti-armor payloads and loiter over an ambush spot, waiting for a vehicle column.
"With Multi-Round Simultaneous Impact mode, multiple effects can be acheived at once, depending on the types of payloads delivered."
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In other news, Russia is building a "ground force" of killer robots – including a deadly swarm of cat-sized bomber drones.
Super-strong robots that "make the Terminator look puny" are already on the way.
Criminal gangs and terrorists could one day buy killer robot assassins on the black market.
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