this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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Is it a drone at that point or a guided missile? The lines seem thin
The drone drops the payload (I assume, unless the pilot is going to die) . That's what makes it gravity operated. A guided missile wouldn't need a drone, and would be exactly as you described. That's a big thing with the "loitering munitions," right now.
My point was just if the pilot was going to die you said use a drone. If the pilot were going to die it would imply whatever delivers the gravity falling weapon is destroyed from being to close. So it is a one time delivery sustem much like a missile cassing instead of a drone which flies away and is re-usable.
That's called a "loitering munition". If there's a payload that's embedded into the craft, and you're not going to retrieve it, but you can still fly it remotely, that's when it's loitering munition, if that makes sense. It's a small bomb you fly in a circle until you have a good angle basically.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loitering_munition