# could a rifle pod be mounted to a military drone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153 "2016-04-04T04:45:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/21 "2016-04-05T13:47:06Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Drone’s gun mount is deformed by shock of firing. Can’t be prevented without adding the mass posters keep insisting drone won’t have. How about a “soft” gun mount designed to temporarily deform, then return to its pre-shot shape? For an analogy, think of a human firing a rifle - no permanent deformation there. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/22 "2016-04-05T14:14:38Z")
FYI, the drones the OP was talking about [are like this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Atomics_MQ-9_Reaper), not like [this](http://aeronauticpictures.com/aerial-photography_wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/rc-helicopter-photography_uav-photography_prices_01.jpg). (and that’s a big one!) They’re big- roughly the performance of a pre/early-WWII fighter, and as such, could mount something like 2-4 .50 cal machine guns. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/23 "2016-04-05T14:15:10Z")
Or just go old school and mount [CRV-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRV7) 2.75" rocket pods but with gps guided heads. That way you get roughly 19 “shots” (Using a SUU-5003 pod) and have the option of a panic mode option where it fires all of them at once. Cheap and cheerful relative to the cost of a Hellfire. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/24 "2016-04-05T14:34:23Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Or just go old school and mount [CRV-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRV7) 2.75" rocket pods but with gps guided heads. That way you get roughly 19 “shots” (Using a SUU-5003 pod) and have the option of a panic mode option where it fires all of them at once. Cheap and cheerful relative to the cost of a Hellfire. See APKWS, which I linked to above. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/25 "2016-04-05T14:58:01Z")
Missed the link. Either setup would be pretty damn devastating on a Reaper/Gray Eagle or an armed Global Hawk. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/26 "2016-04-05T17:04:01Z")
The big issue with all these cheap-and-cheerful armed drones is they aren’t cost effective. Arming a drone with a .50 cal or smaller weapon means getting very up close and personal with your target. Which mean you get shot down a lot. Bigger weapons fired from farther away by bigger platforms is the cheap way. The other cheap way is smaller drones that are aerial mines / torpedos. Just a guided flying bomb that closely approaches the target then detonates. Which works whether the target is a person or a machine. A model airplane-sized quadcopter armed with a hand grenade is a much better weapon than the same quadcopter carrying an M-16 action and 10 rounds. The medium sized drone with a conventional firearm attached is just silly. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/27 "2016-04-05T17:21:58Z")
Agreed about the grenade-bearing model airplane. Based on what I have seen of such small RC aircraft, one might well be better off just buying an off the shelf rifle and optics with which to shoot the intended target. The rifle will be less dependent on good weather and may actually let you engage from farther away. The main attraction of these proposed armed hobbyist drones is that they sound like they should be awesome and are hypothetically within the cost range a basement dwelling geardo can afford. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/28 "2016-04-05T17:32:29Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Or just go old school and mount [CRV-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRV7) 2.75" rocket pods but with gps guided heads. That way you get roughly 19 “shots” (Using a SUU-5003 pod) and have the option of a panic mode option where it fires all of them at once. Cheap and cheerful relative to the cost of a Hellfire. That APKWS that \*\*Ravenman \*\*points out is essentially a laser-guidance kit for unguided rockets like the CRV-7, Hydra 70 and FZ series. Laser guidance would be the way to go anyway; more accurate, and perfectly fine for line of sight firing, which is what we’re talking about here anyway with drones. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/29 "2016-04-05T17:42:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The other cheap way is smaller drones that are aerial mines / torpedos. Just a guided flying bomb that closely approaches the target then detonates. Which works whether the target is a person or a machine. A model airplane-sized quadcopter armed with a hand grenade is a much better weapon than the same quadcopter carrying an M-16 action and 10 rounds. Still too high profile. [Robin](https://www.google.com/search?q=robin&biw=1251&bih=819&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjzmaDLhPjLAhUY42MKHePTAHMQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.8#imgrc=5rEuIJVMDWRRuM%3A)-sized quad copter, CO2 cartridge, 12-inch carbon-graphite tube, blow dart, curare. Predator identifies target, attached MurderRobin locks onto target and deploys, gets within range of the victim and deploys a fairly silent blow dart. MurderRobin then flies off maybe a mile or so and self-destructs. No collateral property damage, no collateral deaths (except in cases of mistaken identity). ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/30 "2016-04-05T17:49:53Z")
Low velocity, low penetration, short ranged weapons like a poison dart would require catching the target outdoors under perfect conditions. People valuable enough to the enemy to even be worth a drone strike often have hardened homes and vehicles and plan their movements carefully. I concede such a thing could be used to murder some schmoe of little to no importance while he is out watering his lawn or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/31 "2016-04-05T17:52:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The other cheap way is smaller drones that are aerial mines / torpedos. Just a guided flying bomb that closely approaches the target then detonates. Which works whether the target is a person or a machine. [Done.](https://www.avinc.com/uas/adc/switchblade/) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/32 "2016-04-05T18:43:46Z")
Attach a bayonet to the drone and make it stab the target. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/33 "2016-04-05T18:44:32Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Agreed about the grenade-bearing model airplane. Based on what I have seen of such small RC aircraft, one might well be better off just buying an off the shelf rifle and optics with which to shoot the intended target. The rifle will be less dependent on good weather and may actually let you engage from farther away. > The main attraction of these proposed armed hobbyist drones is that they sound like they should be awesome and are hypothetically within the cost range a basement dwelling geardo can afford. This is really it. Your basic rural gun enthusiast thinks mounting one of his guns on a quadcopter would be cool as shit. If he owned a .50 cal HMG he’d be salivating over ways to aerilize it. Some SF operative in purchasing or some engineer in a defense contractor starts from a very different place and so ends up in a very different place. Backyard tinkerers start from the tidbits they have on hand and invent a mission that sorta fits what they can bodge together. Real procurement is about recognizing a real actual mission then refining that definition then inventing the device to fill it. The better terrorist type groups are composed of military veterans with some more real world experience. The less professional terrorist groups are full of simple gun fetishists. So on average they’re someplace in the middle. Will somebody kill somebody someplace with a gun- or explosive-equipped small drone in the next decade? Sure. Will there be a worldwide scourge of flying death machines? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/34 "2016-04-05T19:29:29Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Low velocity, low penetration, short ranged weapons like a poison dart would require catching the target outdoors under perfect conditions. People valuable enough to the enemy to even be worth a drone strike often have hardened homes and vehicles and plan their movements carefully. I concede such a thing could be used to murder some schmoe of little to no importance while he is out watering his lawn or the like. I’m a lot more worried about rednecks with Tannerite and too much time (and beer) on their hands. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/35 "2016-04-06T23:31:24Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m a lot more worried about rednecks with Tannerite and too much time (and beer) on their hands. No need to worry. They won’t have a leg to stand on. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/36 "2016-04-07T01:16:04Z")
Once the industry does perfect quadcopters with a 10lb useful load I’m sure we’ll see folks gleefully strafing deer groups with full auto AR-15 conversions. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/37 "2016-04-07T01:20:28Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I know! I had to doge half a dozen assassination attempts on the way to work this morning. Sorry! Sorry! That was me. I don’t mean no harm by it, I’m just a bear before I get half-way through the first cup of coffee. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153/38 "2016-04-07T03:45:01Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Or the [Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Precision_Kill_Weapon_System). It has a warhead about half the size of a Griffin. > > Plus it has got the word “Kill” right next to “Weapon” right in the name of the thing. It’s got to be good. Neat! Where can I get a dozen or so? I’ve got some neighbors… Mod Note: I am kidding. I do not wish harm to my neighbors (well, not to most of them…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-rifle-pod-be-mounted-to-a-military-drone/751153.md?page=1)