Predator w/ Sniper Rifle

I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis mulling around
in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator drone with a
..50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off. Say, put a magazine with
50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone over bad guy areas, spot them with
the Predator's optical systems, and zap them. Human snipers using the .50 have
kill shots from over 1 mile away.

Of course, linkage between the optical system and the gun's aim point would
have to be worked out.

I realize the Predators can fire the Hellfire (IIRC), but in civilian areas
using this may be too politically inexpediant.

Would the Predator be stable enough for something like that?

I would think, if it is, you could make a platform that could take care of
large numbers of enemy with minimum civilian damage and at low cost. Further,
the jihadis would live under the constant threat of instant termination
whereever they are identifiable by the Predator operator as weapons carrying
enemies.

Comments?
Dave

On 15 May 2004 21:18:29 GMT, (Dav1936531) wrote:

I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis mulling around
in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator drone with a
.50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off. Say, put a magazine with
50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone over bad guy areas, spot them with
the Predator's optical systems, and zap them. Human snipers using the .50 have
kill shots from over 1 mile away.

Two reasons this won't work

1. The loiters at high altitude, and even if it could be stable enough
at that distance (it can't), the rounds would tumble in flight after
running out of energy.

2. See 1.

Peter Kemp

Yes, the platform would be physically capable as long as you were able to
fire the shot from within 300 yards . . . out to 500 in a no-wind (3 mph)
conditions. Platform instability combined with wind effects and ragne
estimation errors would make it impossible to keep shots within a 14" CEP
otherwise

Now, mount hte gun on something with more stability and more capability to
perform wind corrections, lead computing, etc. (like an C-130); something
with a crew maybe and lots of computers, and you probably could get "Minute
of Achmed" accuracy out to 800 yards.

However- getting inside the 300 yards needed for long enough to develop and
take the shot; now there's the rub as they say.

Are we willing to spend that much time and effort (and lose that many
platforms) for individual targets at this point?

Steve Swartz


"Dav1936531" wrote in message
...
I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis mulling
around
in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator drone with
a
.50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off. Say, put a magazine
with
50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone over bad guy areas, spot them
with
the Predator's optical systems, and zap them. Human snipers using the .50
have
kill shots from over 1 mile away.

Of course, linkage between the optical system and the gun's aim point
would
have to be worked out.

I realize the Predators can fire the Hellfire (IIRC), but in civilian
areas
using this may be too politically inexpediant.

Would the Predator be stable enough for something like that?

I would think, if it is, you could make a platform that could take care of
large numbers of enemy with minimum civilian damage and at low cost.
Further,
the jihadis would live under the constant threat of instant termination
whereever they are identifiable by the Predator operator as weapons
carrying
enemies.

Comments?
Dave

In article ,
Peter Kemp wrote:

On 15 May 2004 21:18:29 GMT, (Dav1936531) wrote:

I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis
mulling around in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator
drone with a .50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off.
Say, put a magazine with 50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone
over bad guy areas, spot them with the Predator's optical systems,
and zap them. Human snipers using the .50 have kill shots from over
1 mile away.

Two reasons this won't work

1. The loiters at high altitude, and even if it could be stable enough
at that distance (it can't), the rounds would tumble in flight after
running out of energy.

2. See 1.

On the other hand, guided, cheap micromissiles might work. A pound or
so each, with a strong IR emitter in the tail for tracking, dropped from
20,000 feet and steered by radio.

Wouldn't even need to be powered, just fin-stabilized and pointy. If
you want to get really mean, put a shotgun-type charge in the front and
have it fire off a hundred feet or so feet the ground to cover a couple
of square meters.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.

(Dav1936531) wrote in
:

I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis
mulling around in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator drone
with a .50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off. Say, put
a magazine with 50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone over bad
guy areas, spot them with the Predator's optical systems, and zap
them. Human snipers using the .50 have kill shots from over 1 mile
away.

Of course, linkage between the optical system and the gun's aim point
would have to be worked out.

I realize the Predators can fire the Hellfire (IIRC), but in civilian
areas using this may be too politically inexpediant.

Would the Predator be stable enough for something like that?

I would think, if it is, you could make a platform that could take
care of large numbers of enemy with minimum civilian damage and at low
cost. Further, the jihadis would live under the constant threat of
instant termination whereever they are identifiable by the Predator
operator as weapons carrying enemies.

Comments?
Dave

Those kill shots are probably against stationary targets,for starters.

Hellfire is a GUIDED missile,that can track a moving target.
--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net

(Dav1936531) wrote in
:

I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis
mulling around in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator drone
with a .50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off. Say, put
a magazine with 50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone over bad
guy areas, spot them with the Predator's optical systems, and zap
them. Human snipers using the .50 have kill shots from over 1 mile
away.

Of course, linkage between the optical system and the gun's aim point
would have to be worked out.

I realize the Predators can fire the Hellfire (IIRC), but in civilian
areas using this may be too politically inexpediant.

Would the Predator be stable enough for something like that?

I would think, if it is, you could make a platform that could take
care of large numbers of enemy with minimum civilian damage and at low
cost. Further, the jihadis would live under the constant threat of
instant termination whereever they are identifiable by the Predator
operator as weapons carrying enemies.

Comments?
Dave

If the crowd of jihadis is milling around and carrying prohibited weapons
like RPGs,why not just drop a 250 lb. blast-frag bomb on the crowd?
Everyone there is supporting the jihadis.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net

On Sat, 15 May 2004 23:54:17 GMT, Chad Irby wrote:

In article ,
Peter Kemp wrote:

On 15 May 2004 21:18:29 GMT, (Dav1936531) wrote:

I am seeing all kinds of pics comming out of Iraq of the jihadis
mulling around in the streets carrying RPG's and AK's.

I was just wondering if it would be possible to make a Predator
drone with a .50 caliber sniper rifle in it to pick these guys off.
Say, put a magazine with 50 or 100 rounds onboard, loiter the drone
over bad guy areas, spot them with the Predator's optical systems,
and zap them. Human snipers using the .50 have kill shots from over
1 mile away.

Two reasons this won't work

1. The loiters at high altitude, and even if it could be stable enough
at that distance (it can't), the rounds would tumble in flight after
running out of energy.

2. See 1.

On the other hand, guided, cheap micromissiles might work. A pound or
so each, with a strong IR emitter in the tail for tracking, dropped from
20,000 feet and steered by radio.

Wouldn't even need to be powered, just fin-stabilized and pointy. If
you want to get really mean, put a shotgun-type charge in the front and
have it fire off a hundred feet or so feet the ground to cover a couple
of square meters.

VIPER STRIKE does this job nicely (or will once it reaches Iraq) -
Laser guided submunition dropped by a Hunter UAV - don't know what the
warhead size is, but it's probably better for low collateral damage
than a 500lb JDAM dropped in a marketplace.

Peter Kemp

In article ,
Jim Yanik wrote:

If the crowd of jihadis is milling around and carrying prohibited weapons
like RPGs,why not just drop a 250 lb. blast-frag bomb on the crowd?
Everyone there is supporting the jihadis.

Hardly. Quite a few locals are fed up with the jihadis, particularly al
Sadr's mob.

Steve Hix wrote in message
..
..

Hardly. Quite a few locals are fed up with the jihadis, particularly
al
Sadr's mob.

Yes you can tell the jihadis are losing popular support by the
ever-so-displeased glance the locals try from time to time./sarcasm

Give the locals a clear option, kill the jihadis or be killed while we
kill them. The locals can't be allowed to remain neutral. Hell it
might do the Arabs good to actually participate in their freedom, it's
done wonders for many others.



--
Scott
--------
It's not a coincidence that pictures that would inflame the Americans to
war are not shown extensively while those pictures that undermine our
will to fight are shown ad naseum.

From: Steve Hix NVALID


Jim Yanik wrote:
If the crowd of jihadis is milling around and carrying prohibited weapons
like RPGs,why not just drop a 250 lb. blast-frag bomb on the crowd? Everyone
there is supporting the jihadis.

Hardly. Quite a few locals are fed up with the jihadis, particularly al Sadr's
mob.

I think he meant "everyone (in the direct vicinity of the weapon carrying
jihadis) there is supporting the jihadis".

And while that is probably true, reports from the Fallujah siege indicate that
the gun toting trouble makers tend to hide behind women and children. The
Marine snipers reportedly were extremely valuable in that fight, due to their
precision in avoiding civilian casualties. In such circumstances, a 250 lb.
might be a PR disaster.

Consequently, I was wondering about the possibility of a Predator as sort of a
sniper platform. It was just a thought, but I am starting to think the required
level of precision hitting the target would probably be unattainable.......at
least with a .50 BMG round.

Now a tungsten flechette fired from a sabot gun....that might just do the
trick.
Dave