Forgive me Guy for asking Perplexity to counter this opinion. This piqued my interest as someone who know next to nothing about drones or drone defenses. 😉
---
The opinion that a million light-show drones could easily overwhelm and sink a warship like an aircraft carrier overlooks several critical technical and operational realities:
1. Drone Range and Endurance
Light-show drones are designed for short, coordinated flights and have limited battery life and range, typically suitable only for entertainment purposes, not long-range military operations
2. Payload and Ammunition
These drones are built to be lightweight and cannot carry significant payloads, let alone explosives or anti-ship munitions. Even military loitering munitions showcased in Vietnam are designed to target infantry or light vehicles, not heavily armored warships
3. Effectiveness Against Warships
Modern warships, especially aircraft carriers, are heavily armored and compartmentalized. Sinking one requires large, high-explosive warheads or torpedoes, far beyond what small drones can deliver. A million drones with negligible payloads would not physically damage the armored hull or critical systems.
4. Ship Defenses
Warships are equipped with advanced air defense systems, including rapid-fire guns, missiles, and electronic warfare tools that can detect, jam, or destroy incoming drones
. Even if drones were weaponized, these defenses are designed to counter large numbers of threats simultaneously.
5. Logistics and Control
Coordinating a million drones in a hostile, contested environment is a massive technical challenge. Communication jamming, electronic warfare, and the need for precise control would make such a swarm nearly impossible to manage in real combat
6. Economics and Practicality
Light-show drones are not cheap, and scaling up to a million would be logistically and financially prohibitive
. Military drones capable of carrying meaningful payloads are even more expensive and complex.
In summary, while drone swarms are changing warfare, the leap from a light show to sinking a warship is not supported by current technology, drone capabilities, or military reality.
chewstr / Chewstr
npub1kg…09kzq
2025-05-03 07:28:38
in reply to nevent1q…23r3
Author Public Key
npub1kgjacrfffsdzd3wg8gm3a5snkfypgmmjl22utaa7w8wx4l6kwp4s009kzqPublished at
2025-05-03 07:28:38Event JSON
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"content": "Forgive me Guy for asking Perplexity to counter this opinion. This piqued my interest as someone who know next to nothing about drones or drone defenses. 😉\n\n---\n\nThe opinion that a million light-show drones could easily overwhelm and sink a warship like an aircraft carrier overlooks several critical technical and operational realities:\n\n1. Drone Range and Endurance\n\nLight-show drones are designed for short, coordinated flights and have limited battery life and range, typically suitable only for entertainment purposes, not long-range military operations\n\n2. Payload and Ammunition\n\nThese drones are built to be lightweight and cannot carry significant payloads, let alone explosives or anti-ship munitions. Even military loitering munitions showcased in Vietnam are designed to target infantry or light vehicles, not heavily armored warships\n\n3. Effectiveness Against Warships\n\nModern warships, especially aircraft carriers, are heavily armored and compartmentalized. Sinking one requires large, high-explosive warheads or torpedoes, far beyond what small drones can deliver. A million drones with negligible payloads would not physically damage the armored hull or critical systems.\n\n4. Ship Defenses\n\nWarships are equipped with advanced air defense systems, including rapid-fire guns, missiles, and electronic warfare tools that can detect, jam, or destroy incoming drones\n\n. Even if drones were weaponized, these defenses are designed to counter large numbers of threats simultaneously.\n\n5. Logistics and Control\n\nCoordinating a million drones in a hostile, contested environment is a massive technical challenge. Communication jamming, electronic warfare, and the need for precise control would make such a swarm nearly impossible to manage in real combat\n\n\n6. Economics and Practicality\n\nLight-show drones are not cheap, and scaling up to a million would be logistically and financially prohibitive\n\n. Military drones capable of carrying meaningful payloads are even more expensive and complex.\n\nIn summary, while drone swarms are changing warfare, the leap from a light show to sinking a warship is not supported by current technology, drone capabilities, or military reality.",
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