The “Parrot Disco” drone, an RC airplane built around a high-def camera. I have no doubt that this thing will be *blisteringly* expensive… but I also have no doubt that if the comm system can be made secure, the Army and the Marines will buy them by the truckload. These look a whole lot like the old, failed Lockheed “Aquila” drones from the 80’s, but, you know, portable and *usable.*
I’m sure that people who know about such things are looking into replacing the camera with something a bit more IR; replacing the prop with something quieter. Put a turret on the underside with a decent laser pointer in it, and this would provide a *dandy* accessory to the Raytheon Pike missile system. Just imagine a two-man crew… one controlling the drone, the other firing a 40mm grenade launcher, able to bullseye a womprat from a mile or so away and with hills in between.