I think there’s a cliff between affordability/knowledge and payload capacity that has kept this from being practical. Then there’s the traceability aspect. Where and how you buy it, how it’s controlled, etc. A drone controlled by a smart phone can be traced back to that phone, for example.
A drone is far cheaper than a missile, but the military can drop thousands on a drone and not blink an eye. That’s not something that’s practical for the average person, and the skills required to build one are also at the higher end of hobbyist level skills. It’s similar to 3d printed equipment. 3d printed guns are a thing, but it’s generally easier to go buy some PVC pipe for a barrel and a nail for a firing pin. Or just buy a gun, they’re about the price of RAM nowadays. People have even printed RPGs and man portable anti-air/anti-armor missile launchers, but it’s not something even your average skilled hobbyist can do.
The day somebody makes a flying pressure cooker out of an R/C car, though, all bets are off.
I think there’s a cliff between affordability/knowledge and payload capacity that has kept this from being practical. Then there’s the traceability aspect. Where and how you buy it, how it’s controlled, etc. A drone controlled by a smart phone can be traced back to that phone, for example.
A drone is far cheaper than a missile, but the military can drop thousands on a drone and not blink an eye. That’s not something that’s practical for the average person, and the skills required to build one are also at the higher end of hobbyist level skills. It’s similar to 3d printed equipment. 3d printed guns are a thing, but it’s generally easier to go buy some PVC pipe for a barrel and a nail for a firing pin. Or just buy a gun, they’re about the price of RAM nowadays. People have even printed RPGs and man portable anti-air/anti-armor missile launchers, but it’s not something even your average skilled hobbyist can do.
The day somebody makes a flying pressure cooker out of an R/C car, though, all bets are off.