Aviation analyst Alex Hollings, editor in chief of Sandbox News, joins ABC15 to break down how low-cost LUCAS drones are changing the war in Iran. These “kamikaze” drones are about 10 feet long and have a wingspan of eight feet. Launched via catapults or truck-mounted rockets, they fly to pre-programmed coordinates to destroy targets upon impact In an in-depth interview, Hollings explains why small companies like Phoenix-based SpektreWorks are increasingly central to U.S. defense strategy. He compares these drones with traditional missiles in terms of cost, range, and destructive power, and describes how they can overwhelm enemy air defenses.
What’s the difference between these new low cost drones and a missile? In terms of cost, range, effectiveness. I get they are different tech but why use these drones vs traditional methods?
If it’s like the sahed drone then it costs about $30k, has the range of a “medium-range” ballistic missile (which cost millions of dollars), but moves at ~115mph vs supersonic. They also have more limited payload.
So the general principle is that you can produce them quick enough that you can deploy enough to overwhelm your enemies defenses. They also use satellite and interial navigation so can be fairly accurate.