[stephengillie]

I know quadcopters are very sensitive to weight, and a 10oz (285g) quadcopter could probably not carry more than a 1oz (28g) payload. How destructive is 1oz (28g) of C4?

I want to see the destructive potential of a quantity of C4 graphed against its weight.

[HarryHirsch]

Someone (T.E. Lawrence?) said that beginners overestimate the amount of explosives needed to accomplish any given task.

That said, a standard-issue hand grenade weighs something like 450 g, of which 150 g is explosives. The shrapnel travels out to 15 m. I think the verdict is that with 30 g of payload an assassin needs to aim really well.

[stephengillie]

So most of the destructive power of grenades comes from the shrapnel? (I'm remembering a photo of a grenade cut in half.) What would that 150g of explosives do without the shrapnel shell?

How much shrapnel would a 285g quadcopter generate? What would be the effect of an external explosion on the lithium battery?

[dredmorbius]

C4 in a carbon-fiber tube with an open end plugged with wax and ball bearings would make a hell of a political statement.

Even shotgun shells, if you prefer your weaponization pre-fab.

[cinquemb]

>What would that 150g of explosives do without the shrapnel shell?

Most likely lower the kill zone < 5m, though if one wanted to not sacrifice that and shave off some weight they could use ceramic ball bearings[0].

[0] http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-pcs-Ceramic-Diff-Balls-Si3N4-5-32...

[richardw]

Friend just bought a hexacopter for photography. I'm sure it carries more than that. Or this octacopter that carries beer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=janur7RJwm0

Or this jet. Going to need a railgun for this thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTHWBSluUjU&feature=player_em...

[kirubakaran]

It could be carried by an African quadcopter.

[jacquesm]

Try this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ttSwYNspw

[bsullivan01]

Kinetic energy might be enough to do some serious harm. Or imagine putting a knife in front and via!

But they'll probably buy larger drones, take out some parts /weight and replace it with c4.

[pi-rat]

You don't even need a knife, you already have several of them - spinning. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2413231/Roman-Piroze... - "... was pulling a stunt with the chopper at a Brooklyn park Thursday afternoon when he lost control and the RC device flew into his head. The blades sliced off a piece of his skull and slashed his throat."

[stephengillie]

I'd never thought of stabbing someone with a drone. How much pressure does it take to puncture the average human's skin? How fast can a quadcopter fly? How much does a steak knife weigh? We can build the future weapons of war...

[venomsnake]

Less than you think unless you hit a rib or bone. But if you are really nasty just put pressure operated container that fires a poison into the body http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_umbrella style. Depending on the payload they won't save him even if he is in ER the moment he gets shot.