Crowds of protesters could soon come under attack from riot control drones outfitted with paintball guns, strobe lights, and speakers. The Skunk Riot Control Copter, built by South African company Desert Wolf, has a suite of cameras and four paintball guns strapped to its chassis to help its operators monitor and control unruly crowds. The guns can fire ammunition from four different hoppers, meaning the drone operators can shoot protesters with dye markers, solid plastic pellets, or small capsules of pepper spray.
Defence Web says that a full drone system — including high definition and thermal vision cameras, the eight-rotored drone itself, and a ground control station — will cost around 500,000 South African Rand ($46,000). The device is controlled by two people: a pilot, and a payload operator who controls the drone's suite of weaponry. These operators will be monitored on duty by camera and microphone, an activity that Hennie Kieser, Desert Wolf's director, says will ensure they aren't too aggressive.
The first batch of drones will reportedly be deployed to mines in South Africa later this month, where lengthy strikes at some of the country's biggest facilities have resulted in violence. Mine owners hope that the drones will be able to control and subdue their workers by blasting them with flashing lights, blaring messages of control, and shooting them from the sky. Kieser says he hopes its success in the country will lead to more orders for the gun-toting drone.
Comments
…what’s up with the tone of this article? It’s kinda immensely creepy and honestly a bit fascist to be talking about protest suppression drones as anything but a bad thing. The solution to striking workers is satisfying their demands, not raining "less-lethal" ammunition down upon them from an oversized RC helicopter.
By Katdraken on 06.17.14 11:54pm
Somebody isn’t very good at perception…
By NiHaody on 06.18.14 12:02am
Pretty neutral to me. Are you taking offense?
By drkrpr on 06.18.14 12:03am
I understand where you’re coming from but as a South African, these mine strikes have been out of control. At one point they hacked police officers to death with machetes. Now if you have a group of 200 people with machetes don’t you think its better to rain some pepper on them than relive the tragedy of the people killed by riot police.
By condacis on 06.18.14 3:39am
Hmm, well, I`m not a South African but I do know a few things about your country. Rather introducing yourself with the generic “as a South African”, would you mind additionally sharing a) your ethnicity b) what part of South Africa you live in, and c) your job/income level. I think that would tell me personally a lot more about your objectivity on this issue. Don’t want to assume anything, of course.
By bronepoezd_54 on 06.19.14 3:35am
Your intimate knowledge of socioeconomic drivers in the Republic aside, the answers you seek have little to do with what condacis had to say.
So, lets discuss you calling out a commentator’s objectivity here again, shall we?
By patpatpaterson on 06.19.14 8:45am
What about the solution to rioting sport fans? There is definitely a reasonable use for these
By Oncoming.Storm on 06.18.14 1:58pm
Overhead copters blasting pepper-spray and plastic bullets into an angry crowd?
A lovely way to start a panicked stampede with people getting crushed underfoot.
By gregorian on 06.18.14 7:52pm
American police departments are getting their checkbooks ready.
By Donut3 on 06.18.14 12:07am
Way to go Cory Doctorow
By thelonetraveler on 06.18.14 12:12am
It is terrifying how accurate a semi-dystopian near future novel can be
By gignar on 06.18.14 4:41am
No reputation-based “whuffie” economy yet, though. It’ll be a great day when it’s harder to be rich AND an asshole.
By farrellj on 06.18.14 12:17pm
Time to arm the protesters with RF signal jammers. ;)
By RF9 on 06.18.14 12:13am
Let me fix that for you
Time to arm the protesters.
By cy.starkman on 06.18.14 12:47am
And then everything will work out just great.
By gregorian on 06.18.14 12:57am
Don’t give the Man an excuse to beat us down further! Besides, violence does not solve problems.
By knowmadd on 06.18.14 6:04am
Can you please tell all the governments about that? thanks
By cy.starkman on 06.18.14 11:05pm
As much as a weaponized drone is scary, cant say that a little bit of me thinks this pretty badass. But these really should be only used in dire situations were we dont want to risk the life of law enforcement.
By Litten on 06.18.14 12:14am
Right. Just like tasers, or shooting people even.
By kretonime on 06.18.14 4:11am
Right when used under the correct situations they save lives. Both the criminals and the cops.
By Litten on 06.18.14 4:40pm
All the joy of suppression, with none of the fuss of facing your victim. How delightful. /s
By Agent_Reaver on 06.18.14 12:23am
The american way! Fuck yeah!
By Bahumbug on 06.18.14 3:23am
Isn’t this in South Africa?
By Discipulus on 06.18.14 10:54am
Here’s a new thing for people to use remotely because they’re too big a pussy to treat people like, you know, people, human beings. Technology to be abused at a peaceful protest with agent provocateurs near you.
By JustinEatingBacon on 06.18.14 12:29am
I can’t see a need for this to be used on peaceful protests, can you?
By patpatpaterson on 06.19.14 8:47am