Enter the Matrix

I have seen the future, and it includes Laurence Fishburne asking me to take either the red or blue pill. Apparently:

The Office of Naval Research has unveiled what it is calling the future of the American military’s drone technology—lightweight, flying killer robots that can swarm and overwhelm an adversary.

As more than 120 countries convened at the U.N. in Geneva to discuss the future of drone warfare this week, the Navy’s research arm announced it had started testing its LOCUST drones (Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology). And while the acronym may conjure a kind of dystopian sci-fi nightmare, Navy scientists insist that LOCUST drones will give sailors and marines a tactical advantage on the battlefield.

Currently, the military relies on MQ-Reaper drones, one of which costs $16 million and requires the guiding hand of a human being. LOCUST drones are far smaller and cheaper, and they guide themselves, says the military. According to Engadget, when dispatched, “they team up and overwhelm enemy aircraft like honey bees defending their hive.”

Picture a Virginia-class nuclear attack sub. Now replace a few of its Tomahawk cruise missiles with a launchable container full of LOCUST drones. The container/missile pops out of the water, proceeds to its destination, then unleashes a swarm of LOCUST drones ready to strike.

Imagine putting the enemy aircraft-killing capabilities of an aircraft carrier in a stealthy underwater platform.

Granted, a sub would have to return to base to reload on LOCUST missiles, so it wouldn’t enjoy a surface aircraft carrier’s ability to sustain operations. But its stealthiness and survivability would make LOCUST-equipped SSNs a valuable addition to — not a replacement for — our carrier strike groups.