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Subject:
DIY cruise missiles?
eu4ea
3/1/2005 6:48:36 AM
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At first blush it sounds preposterous - but after some research I now believe it's currently possible.
All components are available in the civilian market, and the expertise to put it together, while significant, is by no means unsurmountable.
This article link has a workable proposal on how it could be done (though I believe it's author underestimates the software and integration tasks), and breaks down how this could be done for $7-8000.
Equally worrisome, adding 100-ft precision to a quassam-type rocket could be achieved for around $3000 (and 10lbs weight), roughly broken down as follows:
- $400 for a capable mirco-atx single board computer,
- $200 for a roomy flash hard drive,
- $700 for a good-quality GPS system,
- $600 for a gyroscope, compass, and altimeter,
- $200 for precision stepper motors
- $500 for good quality control surfaces,
- $400 for batteries and cabling
Similarly, a fire-and-forget propeller driven UAV capable of following the terrain and carrying a 50lb warhead over 50 miles to 100ft target radius could be built for roughly $5000.
Bomb-UAVs would also have more rande and be significantly easier to construct than guided quassams; engines and airframes are readily available in the model-airplane market, and the integration would be a lot easier, since practically all required software is also available in the model-airplane market.
Quassams are routinely launched at Israel, though they *very* rarely hit anywhere near their intended target. Which is fortunate, since there are no reliable ways to protect against them once they are fired. Guided Quassams would be another matter entirely, however.
Bomb-UAVs are would also be problematic, even if on paper they are much easier to intercept - just recently crude UAVs launched from Lebanon overflew Israel, and made it back.
DIY cruise missiles would be a lot nastier to detect and intercept than either one.
What do other people think about this?
- could such weapons be built today,
- how long until we start seeing such attacks, and
- what measures would we need to take to neutralize the this threat?
Cheers,
E.
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