zlacker

> The drone over Minneapolis is a MQ-9 reaper, aka "predator B", hunter-killer UAV.

I'd guess this is a Gorgon Stare drone.

https://longreads.com/2019/06/21/nothing-kept-me-up-at-night...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgon_Stare#Development

>>gopalv+(OP)
Ok, so that’s a real thing, and not just a Charles Stross / Laundry Files reference.

I guess it’s not too surprising that you would want to keep an eye out for rioting.

Missiles would be a whole new level of messed up, though.

>>gopalv+(OP)
Is this the tech that's essentially a bunch of phone camera sensors stitched together?

>>Robopr+Dn
> Missiles would be a whole new level of messed up, though.

Of course they'll eventually call them "non lethal payloads" :P

The interesting things that could be done when you have a line of sight to these things, a little bit of knowledge of RF modulation and have nothing left to lose…

>>Robopr+Dn
I think it’s unlikely that CBP has armed aircraft. Might be the same model numbers as things the military uses, but they likely don’t have any reason to have them weapons capable and probably don’t have the weapons even if they weren’t actually demilitarized prior to them obtaining the aircraft.

>>cinque+ax
from the wikipedia article linked above:

> Philadelphia Police Department Lt. Frank Powell proceeded to drop two one-pound bombs (which the police referred to as "entry devices"[31]) made of FBI-supplied Tovex