AN ATTACK on Russian forces in Syria on January 5th by 13 home-made drones is a wonderful example of “asymmetric” warfare. On one side,exquisite high-tech weapons. On the other, cheap-as-chips disposable robot aircraft. Ten of the drones involved attacked a Russian airbase at Khmeimim. The other three went for a nearby naval base at Tartus. Rather than being quadcopters, or the most well-liked design for commercial drones,the craft involved in these attacks (some of which are pictured above) resembled hobbyists’ model aircraft. They had three-metre wingspans, were built crudely of wood and plastic, and were powered by lawnmower engines. Each carried ten home-made shrapnel grenades under its wings.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence,which has so far refused to say who it thinks was responsible for the attack, the drones were guided by GPS and had a range of 100km. The electronics involved were off-the-shelf components, or the total cost of each drone was perhaps a couple of thousand dollars....
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Source: economist.com