Could this work? UAV- flying sniper rifle

I have been thinking about this and would like to hear peoples comments on it.

Could a sniper/long range type rifle be attached to a large UAV helicopter gyroscopically stabilized with some big telescopic optics?

I know the predator has hellfires, and theres a UAV helicopter being developed with a 12ga shotgun I saw a video of.

I think it could be done, and it wouldnt even be all that difficult to do relatively speaking.

In a place like Iraq with urban combat situations where something like a hellfire can't always be used for obvious reasons (plus bullets are cheap) I think it could be a very effective weapon system. Or a place like the mountains of Afghanistan equip it with a big telescopic sight and a FLIR system.

[edit on 31-7-2006 by warpboost]

unfrotunaly when flying a plane is subject to alot of gust and there is no way to stablize a large gust and its when that happens that some who isn't suppose to dies.

I guess a wind guest could affect a helicopter the same as a plane, but I'm no expert. I would want rotorwing, not conventional plane.

could modern computing power and networked sensors help predict and compensate for wind? Also It wouldnt be flying at high altitude, maybe like 50-1000 ft so would wind be that big of an issue?

The technolgy has been around since the Vietnam war to "snipe" at individual ground targets with cannons (AC-130, etc). These aircraft already have the capabilities to function as "flying sniper rifles".

A crewless AC-130 type UAV could prove quite valuable, bringing to bear some serious firepower or sniping away at enemy locations without exposing crew to fire. The trends in arming the Hercules gunships has been towards heavier weapons that give the aircraft more stand off range (safety), but by using UAV gunships the risks to crew members are removed making it practical to send the gunships much closer to the battlefront and thus eliminating the need to be blazing away (far away) with expensive heavy weapons fire.

A handful of UAV gunships armed with a mid-weight gatling gun or a light cannon flying pylon turns overhead should provide an economical way to provide firepower to the troops on the ground and singles out prowling alone would be a nasty surprise to anyone (and all the while not flying a tradition "attack" flight pattern.

I could definately see these type things being quite nasty.

I've actually never thought much about that idea...

But I think its a pretty good concept.

have it fly a couple thousand feet up...so they cant hear of see it, and I think it would work great...with zero collateral damage.

Stabalizing would be a challenge...but one that could deffiniatly be worked out.

I think the Idea is really good, you could kill the exact person whom you wanted dead, and with no innocent casualties the media couldn't say very many bad things about it. And the Army would love it since it would be very cheap...especially compared to missiles or rockets.

This looks like it could be a good platform for the gun system (the one on the right)

I think a laser designator/ grenade launcher with guided munitions is a better idea. I'm not sure if there are any guided grenades out yet, but considering the work going on with guided mortar rounds, they can't be too far behind.

You could engage better armored targets or perhaps MRSI capability with air burst frag rounds. Imagine a single predator taking out a dozen APC's :

Or for the sake of range, sling 19 APKWS II rockets under a predator.

Well the airforce has made a laser thats lethal and small enough for aircraft once they get the power situation settled you got your sniper rifle in form of a laser and the wind gusts aren't an issue anymore at that point...

So yeah good Idea.

Instead of having it shoot while in the air, why not just build a stealth UAV that lands near the target, shoots and then leaves. Simplifies a lot of the varibles and could be made relativly cheaply.

Err… why not just make a UCAV with an underside GAU-17 placed in a rotating turret? It has decent range, can tolerate the casual gust of wind and has awesome killing power. The only challenge would be how much ammo you could carry.

[edit on 1-8-2006 by WestPoint23]

Originally posted by JIMC5499
Instead of having it shoot while in the air, why not just build a stealth UAV that lands near the target, shoots and then leaves. Simplifies a lot of the varibles and could be made relativly cheaply.

Now thats an interesting idea. It would need to be pretty stealthy though, but perhaps with modern noise cancellation technology and some optical camo it could get in and out unseen.

It reminds me of the remote sniper pods that are out there. I couldnt find any pics or info on them, but basically they setup a sniper weapon with sensors and can place it on a hilltop, and it will shoot anything that moves in the valley below

If the rifle could actually fly or hover and make the shot from the air, it would probably be more effective as it would have less obstructions, a longer line of sight etc... but stabilizing it could prove to be a difficult challange to overcome.

Two alternate weapons that could be used:

* APKWS - 70mm rocket with a laser seeker embedded in the nose. Cheap, small warhead (little collatoral damage), and can be guided to it's target which eliminates the gusting or stability problems.

* XM-25: use a time-fuzed grenade + range measurement to detonate a grenade in a specific location (i.e. doesn't need to hit anything to explode). This takes care of the accuracy problem in a different way... you don't need a direct hit, you just have to get close

The idea of it being able to roll is also good. I'm picturing something small with coaxial rotors (KA-50 style), and a pair of treads and electric power (for less noise). Find a hill near your target and land on the far side, then roll silently up to the top for a clear shot...

What do you mean by sniper rifle? A .50 cal would be too big for most of these things, I believe, but a 5.56 or 7.62 "rifle" (you wouldn't need the stock or trigger, just have something to trip the sear...) might be light enough for a relatively small VTOL (probably rotor) UAV to carry and fire. You could probably keep the weapons and targetting systems under 10 pounds, and with a bit of discipline keep the entire thing under 10k dollars.

This would have a pretty useful role in the battlefield. If insurgents decided to start attacking something, you could have a few of these things controlled by people at a nearby base that flank the insurgents and attack them from behind. This would work even better if you could form a network of these things, where individual bases would have a dozen or so of these and put them into the air, land them and do maintanence. When in the air, they could perform a preprogrammed "idle" phase where they would create a formation that would try and cover an area fairly evenly while creating a higher concentration at areas likely to be attacked, such as convoy routes. If one of them is attacked, or if a request for support comes in, operators in a central location would "activate" drones in the area and use them to aid the individuals in need. This would allow operators to be involved in 3-4 firefights a day without any risk to them.

After doing some research I am very tempted to apply for a grant to purchase a Yamaha RMAX type II and mount a barret M82 on it



According to this spec sheet on the RMAX type II it can carry 66lbs which I believe would be enough for a barret with magazine, optics, sensors etc.. but I'm not positive on that. Any input on that will be greatly appreciated.

Here's an unmanned MD 530 Littlebird that can carry 800lbs! I bet you could mount all kinds of lethal toys on it

www.gizmag.com...

I prefer the vehicle I posted...Since it has a means to look and find the target using its camera pod. And design a gun spesifically for it...not just bolt on an existing gun and make somthing to pull the trigger.

BTW, the company that makes products in the picture I posted is Honeywell.

Murcielago I will do some research, but do you have any idea what kinds of payload the larger craft you posted has?

or you could just airlift some texans in there,we can get the job done

?

I thought you were from the northeast and then moved to georgia? Whats this about texas?

www.fas.org...

This looks like it could be promising. Make it a bit smaller, take away some of the sensors (doesn't need radar for this), uparmor it with some kevlar... It has a payload capacity of 100kg so you could easily fit a m249 on there if you wanted, or you could make it lighter and have a weapon designed for it that would be little more than a barrel, firing mechanism and ammunition source...

PBscientist, that thing is wild looking Reminds me of R2D2 with a rotor or something out of a scifi movie


NOW this is what I'm talking about!

Meet the Autocopter equipped with a semi auto 12 guage

video.google.com...

If they can do it with a shotgun, I have no doubt with a few tweaks a high powered rifle could be fitted

[edit on 2-8-2006 by warpboost]

I've thought of this. If you had a missile with a jet assisted shell attached to the front, then you could have a gun that would work as a multi stage rocket.

1. Missile fires a target.
2. Missile gets within range of target where the jet assisted shell is accurate.
3. The jet assisted shell fires and as it does the missile self destructs into debre small enough to not harm any civilians below.
4. The shell guides its way down toward the target.
5. The shell is made of an alloy which on contact with metal remains hard but and contact with flesh becomes soft.

Jet assisted shells are used in paladin artillery and yes my magic alloy exists. I saw it on history channel modern marvels: bullets. I'll find a link.