James Wesley:
I fly radio-controlled (RC) aircraft, and the Switchblade is a definite possibility.
As you can tell from the video, there is a lot of computer generated “help” going on there, but the concept is solid, the technology to do this is already readily available and has been for some time. It’s just a matter of time until somebody completes the package.
The problem is, for an aircraft that small, the maximum payload I could see might be around a pound, maybe slightly less. But a pound of C-4 could put a distinct “dent” in your day!
Lately, the FAA has been coming down hard on the RC modeling hobby. With things like the above going on, and jet RC aircraft approaching the 400 MPH mark, they have concerns. They are now starting to call our models “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAVs). They tell us that around June of this year, they will make public a new set of rules that we must comply with regarding our hobby. – Pat S.
JWR Replies: As a bit of background, I started writing about potential terrorist use of RC aircraft and other technologies more than 20 years ago. (See my two-part feature article “High Technology Terrorism” in Defense Electronics magazine, January 1990, p.74.) I further outlined UAVs and the threat posed by their misuse by terrorists, back in 2006. Specifically, I was concerned with the threat of UAV-borne Improvised Explosive Devices. (FWIW, I coined the acronym UAVIED in December, 2006.)
This innovation represents a serious terrorist threat, folks. The technology is available off the shelf. In another few years it may make outdoor public venues quite unpopular with politicians. I must add that it is sad to see RC modeling enthusiasts pay some sort of regulatory price for what are just potential misdeeds.
Closing throught: The threat of UAVIEDs is just one more reason not to live in a big city!