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If given 30 years foresight, what kind of best conventional Unmanned Combat System could/would you develop in 2020?

HeavyArmor

Trust me, I'm a Tech-Priest
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Just a what if scenario:

What if, you in the 2020 were transported into 1990 as an alternate identity (to prevent doppelganger issues), with full knowledge of what happened until 2020 IRL.

BOB (Bored Omnipotent Being) tasked you with developing the best unmanned weapon system you could come out, that by 2020, would be extremely competitive on the international arms market.

To aid in your quest, BOB provides you with the following resources:
  • 100 tons of pure Gold in brick form, hidden in locations specified by you.
  • 100 tons of pure Silver in brick form, hidden in locations specified by you.
  • 5500 tons of pure Titanium in brick form, hidden in locations specified by you.
  • A 20-terabyte portable hard disk with military-grade impact/shock/water/heat-resistance casing, storing any data you wished for that exist in 2020.
  • 5 × laptop of your specification, with the software you requested installed.
  • 50-men/women hyper-competent bodyguard team programmed to protect you, your knowledge and anyone else you specify at all cost.
  • 50-men/women hyper-competent support team specialized in intelligence/counter-intelligence/counter-survelliance/counter-espionage duties.

And yes, you can create your own company and hire/buyout specialists to do your bidding, you're just the decision maker and financier.

And yes, you can create other products/business/services to procure more funding or make a name or do your bidding or whatever...

So, starting you work in 1990, and IRL geopolitical events are going to happen as usual.....

What could/would you produce by 2020?
 
For what purpose? An unmanned system for high intensity naval warfare is pretty different from one in a COIN strategy. I guess that, with all the shit of the past thirty years, an Insight platform could be nice, on a lower scale: persistent aerial platform, solar or RTG-powered flying at high altitudes and filled with 3D-printing capabilities, capable of receiving logistics UAVs for refilling storage tanks for the printers. It would deploy and support surveillance drones and build one-use hunter-killer quadcopters either for termination or non-lethal neutralization using microwave projection. If it can be made with enough power, it could come with offensive EW capability to kill comms in specific areas.

It would be very interesting both for tinpot dictators to keep protests under control mediatically and physically as well as for 'free countries' wanting to go on a freedomization campaign without too many boots on the ground.

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Any purpose your comfortable with, just do "the best" and extremely competitive on the international arms market.
Gotta have to be disruptive and create your own market, because as China experienced over the past twenty years, you cannot buy your way to technological mastery in various fields. And LM also discovers that more money doesn't mean better products either.
 
Assuming that it'll take the 90s for me to establish corporation & get the first generation of prototypes. In that case I'll be focusing on drones (RC & semi autonomous) for roles in asymmetrical warfare (bomb disposal, tactical surveillance, etc.). Just in time to take advantage of the War on Terror.

With reputation established, then it'll be moving onto proof of concept models for automated combat/patrol vehicles, slowing promoting the idea of automation of conventional warfare. Along the way maybe establish a mecha fighting league (I mean, at the cheapest it'll only cost in the tens of millions of dollars, and by that point there should be enough spare cash to do that).
 
I'll make Screamers, because that is as unmanned as you can get.

What could possibly go wrong?
 
I'll make Screamers, because that is as unmanned as you can get.

What could possibly go wrong?
Is that those ground/desert killing machines that went rogue and kill everybody?
 
Just a what if scenario:

What if, you in the 2020 were transported into 1990 as an alternate identity (to prevent doppelganger issues), with full knowledge of what happened until 2020 IRL.

BOB (Bored Omnipotent Being) tasked you with developing the best unmanned weapon system you could come out, that by 2020, would be extremely competitive on the international arms market.

To aid in your quest, BOB provides you with the following resources:
  • 100 tons of pure Gold in brick form, hidden in locations specified by you.
  • 100 tons of pure Silver in brick form, hidden in locations specified by you.
  • 5500 tons of pure Titanium in brick form, hidden in locations specified by you.
  • A 20-terabyte portable hard disk with military-grade impact/shock/water/heat-resistance casing, storing any data you wished for that exist in 2020.
  • 5 × laptop of your specification, with the software you requested installed.
  • 50-men/women hyper-competent bodyguard team programmed to protect you, your knowledge and anyone else you specify at all cost.
  • 50-men/women hyper-competent support team specialized in intelligence/counter-intelligence/counter-survelliance/counter-espionage duties.

And yes, you can create your own company and hire/buyout specialists to do your bidding, you're just the decision maker and financier.

And yes, you can create other products/business/services to procure more funding or make a name or do your bidding or whatever...

So, starting you work in 1990, and IRL geopolitical events are going to happen as usual.....

What could/would you produce by 2020?

A heterogenous swarm of loitering attack munitions. Deployed from MRLS launcher.
 
I'd build capital from wining big say the Lottery and sports events. To fund a company then release games and media I know would succeed but haven't been developed or produced yet and release technology far ahead of my competitors to then build up with the aim of becoming basically Apple, Microsoft, Disney and Lockheed-Martin in one company. To in essence become the majority of my home nations GDP. The unmanned weapons system would of course be planned but building up technology first before producing one would be more effective I think. So that when tech is advanced enough to develop the first Drone and demonstrate it's effectiveness it would blow away any competition and be bought by interested militaries. All while building an effective RND department.
 
I don't need access to that, I'd end up doing some supervillain General Shephard type shit
 
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