D18 Darter Drone

D18: Rotor driven variant
D18T: Thruster driven variant
-DM: Dropable Munitions variant
-AT: Anti Tank shape charge variant
-HE: High Explosive shape charge variant
-R: Reconnaissance variant
(D18A-R: Rotor driven reconnaissance drone variant)

Power Generation

3 lithium ion battery cores allow Darter drones to operate for around 4 hours in a single charge.

Propulsion

3 triple bladed rotors, which can change their orientation to allow for even greater maneuverability, can propel these drones at very high speeds and elevations. These can fold in to fit the profile of the drone's body for ease of storage. Alternatively, pressureized tanks filled with gas (1) can be swapped for the rotors with 5 nozzles arientened to allow for maximum maneuverability in a vacuum or low to 0 G environments.
In atmosphere, D18 drones have a deployment ceiling of around 18,000 feet or 5,500 meters.

Weapons & Armament

D18-DM (shown): Droppable munitions are affixed to the bottom of the drone, typically from a folded arm that extended upon deployment, that can be released from very high above their target. These munitions can contain HE anti-personnel payloads or anti-tank warheads for disabling armored vehicles.
D18-AT (2): A shaped HEAT or tandem charge is affixed to the bottom of these drones, as droppable munitions are often not nearly powerful enough to penetrate modern tabk armor. The drone flies rapidly up to the hull of the targeted vehicle, orients the charge against the surface, and then detonates, destroying themselves and hopefully their target as well.
D18-HE (2): A shaped anti-personnel charge is affixed to the bottom of these drones, loaded with large amounts of shrapnel designed to cover a large area of effect when detonated. Often times these shrapnel fragments are coated in anticoagulants to make the death of their victims even more likely. These drones have a much larger area of effect compared to droppable munition, at the cost of destroying the drone as well when detonated. A conmon strategy for these drones is to wait high in the sky, diving down on their targets when identified by simply disabling their rotors, effectively eliminating any noise or warning. This has earned these drones the nickname of "Silent Slaughter".

Armor and defense

Darter drones are constructed from thermal and radar signature reducing polymers in addition to supplementary paint that serves the same purpose. This makes it harder for the drone to be detected and shot down by anti-drone defense systems.

Communication Tools & Systems

These drones can be controlled remotely at a distance of up to 30 miles away from the controller on the AR headset's broadcasting power alone, or alternatively configured to function autonomously. They can also be linked to a satellite, functionally making their range limitless with the downside of opening up a more easily hackable avenue.

Sensors

3 cameras, one on each face, allow the drone controller to see a 360° view of their surroundings in their AR headset. It should be noted that D18 drones can be configured to function automonously as well. These cameras are each capable of 25x magnification in HD resolution.
D18-R (3): This variant is equipped with a bottom attached high power optic that supplements the existing cameras. This allows for much greater zoom as well as a shareable target lock interface with other weapons. This optic is capable of 85x magnification in HD resolution.

Manufacturer

PANGEA

Creation Date

Entered service in 2317

Owning Organization

PANGEA

Price

$916-$1,622 depending on variant

Rarity

43,265 currently in service

Related Technologies

• H-KITE

Length

571.50mm (22.5”)

Height

167.64mm (6.6”)

Weight

6.4-10.1 lbs (2.90-4.58 kg) depending on variant

Speed

84 mph (135 kph)