NYPD considering armed drones Here we go down the slippery slope: The NYPD is seriously considering procuring weaponized drones. Officials are making the usual argument (Terror!) to justify this ridiculous and dangerous idea. Specifically, terrorists might arm a drone with a machine gun or a bomb and inflict mass damage, the cops warn. The NYPDs response to this imaginary threat is to explore the militarization of New York Citys skyline. Is the threat real, though? Mary Cummings, a Duke professor and former Navy pilot, said the NYPDs fear mongering is ridiculous. Theres no way in hell, Cummings said, that a mini-drone bought off Amazon--like the two that flew over the George Washington Bridge last month--could carry a 100-pound machine gun, let alone explosives. And anything bigger would be noticed from miles away. Big drones show up on radar, so you would need small drones to pull this off, she explained. But you cant really weaponize small drones. Besides, she said, if were buying this story, these are shit-poor jihadists were talking about here; they dont have the Pentagons massive budget backing their every move. You would need a very sophisticated research program to mount a lethal weapon on a drone, Cummings continued. And to just aim and fire alone, in any kind of controlled fashion, is very beyond the skills of a homegrown terrorist. If some terrorists can do that, then New York City has a lot bigger problems.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 00:53:53 +0000
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