If you crack the combination of “actually cheap” and “reliable interceptor”, the US military industrial complex is going to build you your very own Scrooge vault.
I’ve sometimes thought that WW2 flak cannons (~artillery) with a programmable fuse (set immediately before “launch” by radar) could be effective. You would get longer range than C-RAM or laser and artillery shells are cheap. Shahed/Gerans are not particularly fast or durable. It wouldn’t take much to make it fall out of the sky: close enough is good enough.
The Russian Navy stays way, way the hell away from the Ukraine coast these days. The drone-boat bombs have them running scared. Even Sevastopol in Crimea is too risky.
The system is called Loki and sold by SAAB now, but well, the gun base can be an AA/Naval gun with origin from the 1930ish, but then some parts are changed to get a speed to follow drones, the original handcranked aiming systems.
If you crack the combination of “actually cheap” and “reliable interceptor”, the US military industrial complex is going to build you your very own Scrooge vault.
I’ve sometimes thought that WW2 flak cannons (~artillery) with a programmable fuse (set immediately before “launch” by radar) could be effective. You would get longer range than C-RAM or laser and artillery shells are cheap. Shahed/Gerans are not particularly fast or durable. It wouldn’t take much to make it fall out of the sky: close enough is good enough.
The system is called Loki and sold by SAAB now, but well, the gun base can be an AA/Naval gun with origin from the 1930ish, but then some parts are changed to get a speed to follow drones, the original handcranked aiming systems.
Video from Swedish Defence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO4QMZ1n4_Q
This is antithetical to the US military industrial contractor complex doctrine.
And then defense contractors will sell it to the government for a 10,000% markup.
But in all reality they would steal it after the inventor commits suicide with 2 rounds to the back of the head