Cheap suicide drones are a new problem. Work the problem.
Future air defense for naval vessels and combat armor may include a defensive escort of uncrewed vehicles equipped with electronic warfare measures or drone-killing cannons, according to the technology director at BAE Systems, Europe’s largest defense company. ...
... One solution may be uncrewed vessels or vehicles equipped with electronic warfare capabilities or 40-millimeter cannons with airburst shells, operating at distance from a frigate or tank to tackle threats before they get too close, according to Merryweather.
Can the single-purpose escorts--ground or sea--keep up with the primary assets in speed or endurance? And if it can keep up, is it approaching the size and cost to justify being protected itself?
I had suggestions for air and surface ship escorts through choke points. Although large air defense frigates would be needed for escorting fast Navy ships. Which are costly, too.
And I've mentioned the ship auto-cannon angle.
Yet for combat armor, I suspect an upgraded active protection system for point defense would be best within an area defense of other weapons and electronic warfare systems. And fighter drones, of course.
For a general overview of industry air defense offerings, this Cracking Defence article is helpful.
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NOTE: Unattributed photo from a random Reddit page.
