Drone on |
THERE was a time when aerial photography was possible only from a helicopter; the exception was the KMC fire brigade snorkels, in the service of the MQM, covering party events. Then came drones, and soon no wedding shoot was complete without these contraptions buzzing inside the marquees, capturing guests at different stages of chewing, gulping, slurping, and spilling.
It was a matter of time before these flying demons were put to use for espionage and war. While gluttons fantasised about drone-dropped pizza and fiction writers toyed with plots involving target-killing drones, the invention was also put to good use for crop surveys, forestry, and pest management.
Russia and Ukraine have deployed swarms of drones against each other, and the recent Pakistan-India spat saw drone warfare. Depending upon their size, utility, and sophistication, these could be suicide weapons or the sort that fly back to their bases, that is, if they dodge the anti-drone drones. Among other types, some foreign outlets claimed that Pakistan deployed the Turkish-made Yiha-III and Songar drones. An internet search puts the price of a single unit of the latter between $24,000 and $50,000. India reportedly used the much more expensive........