It didn’t succeed, but it demonstrated the possibility, a quadcopter like the ones used for fun and photos was used to attempt an assassination of Venezuela’s president. Using drones to kill isn’t new. The US military dramatically increased their use in various unofficial wars in recent years. The significance of the attempt in Venezuela is the type, cost, and carrying capacity of the drone. The drones in the attack carried about two pounds of plastic explosives. A simpler application was one drone that was used to deliver a grenade. The drones are small, cheap, hard to spot, hard to stop, and can be employed in fleets and swarms making defense difficult. Humans are creative and will create new ways to use new technologies. This innovation isn’t a surprise, but it is a disquieting introduction to what is now possible for criminals, domestic disputes, and undoubtedly unexpected events. The skies are getting busy.
“America Is Not Ready For Exploding Drones” – The Atlantic
Pretending Not To Panic 