Originally published at Armed Forces
1. Yes, drone motherships are real. The mothership can be airborne (the most frequent) or ground or sea-based. There are examples of drones operated in large quantities and where they are choreographed.
The Beijing Olympics, the Denver Broncos drone logo, and others come to mind.
2. Yes, airborne versions can fly a ways loiter for a time, and control other drones.
3. Yes, they are a threat, and I wrote a master's thesis on this topic years ago.
4. Yes, they can be exploited in ways that do not include just shooting them down.
5. Shooting them down may not be the best solution because there ARE other options. Expanding on this point would enter into classified arenas.
6. Destroying them over a highly populated area can be hazardous for many reasons.
7. There are commercially available systems that can track drones.
8. Simple solutions exist for countering low-flying drone threats (shotguns, nets) and medium-altitude drones (helicopters, other drones). High-altitude drones are harder to counter without military applications, or commercial systems with a higher price tag.
9. This event, like several others around the country and overseas, continues to prove how much of a threat drones present.
10. This long-running incident is a clear national security failure and shows the world that America can be easily targeted.
More information is needed to address what is happening in New Jersey, California, Virginia, or overseas locations. The point of these quick hits is to provide highlights about what is realistically possible or reasonable.
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