Escort drones

[JayBee]

To-day the BBC news had an article on some upcoming trials in the UK of parcel/package delivery drones.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36887325

One concern is that they might be shot down by peoples unknown who want to rob them of their cargo.

This is to my mind a bit like the problem the US military faced in Vietnam with their helicopters coming under increasing ground fire.
The answer was armed Escort helicopters, and this led to the development of Gunship helicopters.

SO how about Escort/Gunship drones?

Over to you lot for ideas.

Jim

[NARSES2]

Patent it Jim and make a fortune 

Or if feeling misschievious write to the Sun or Star and see them splash it all over the front page as fact 

[Gondor]

Patent it Jim and make a fortune 

Or if feeling misschievious write to the Sun or Star and see them splash it all over the front page as fact 

Or on page three wearing fishnets 

Gondor

[KJ_Lesnick]

Honestly I have a dim view of drones because currently they pose to violate our privacy and have no business operating domestically; if automated they pose to endanger mankind more so than manned aircraft

[Dizzyfugu]

I am sceptical, too - be it airborne or ground-bound drones or other automated vehicles, esp. in highly populated areas.
I see practical use in rural areas, though - for instance, DHL has been testing a delivery drone for 24h service at the German coast, e. g. for medicine delivery to the East Frisian islands. But on a broad basis? 

[Old Wombat]

Just wait until they start crowding the airways & crashing into each other, & people find that their parcels aren't covered by any current form of insurance &, with the increase in drone accidents, won't ever be insured.

Or wait until they start impinging on commercial airline airspace due to excessive numbers & start downing passenger jets full of people.

[zenrat]

Or they get hacked delivering their cargo to the hacker rather than to where it is supposed to go.

[NARSES2]

It's so nice to see all these optimists 

Seriously I agree with you. Loads of questions to be answered before they can enter general use and I'm not sure currently they can all be answered satisfactorily.

[JayBee]

As a retyired Air Traffioc Controller (Civil) the whole idea of them scares the willies out of me.

[KJ_Lesnick]

Jaybee

Honestly I think the same way: Honestly, we should just compile a list of every time a plane and drone get too close like how the media basically reports every time some dumb fool shoots somebody

[PR19_Kit]

You can be sure our CAA is already doing that, as are the airline pilot's concerned.

[kitnut617]

Erm! it's already happening ---

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/drone-near-miss-with-edmonton-police-helicopter-prompts-warning

and a simple 'drone to close to police helicopter report' search in google turns up hundreds of other examples

[KJ_Lesnick]

As a retyired Air Traffioc Controller (Civil) the whole idea of them scares the willies out of me.

You know, me and another guy on facebook are thinking of creating a group about the dangers of drones.  Would you be willing to join?

[Rick Lowe]

Erm! it's already happening ---

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/drone-near-miss-with-edmonton-police-helicopter-prompts-warning

and a simple 'drone to close to police helicopter report' search in google turns up hundreds of other examples

Guarantee you'll see more of this, as the media start using them to film operations 'as they happen, for your viewing pleasure' - er, I mean 'to keep you in the know', and so the Police can't get away with unreasonably gunning down the poor, misguided soul with the Kalashnikov and a drum mag.