The president of Venezuela survived what appears to have been a drone attack last week. Drones armed with explosives flew directly toward him during a speech.
Quisieron poner a prueba lealtades-de la Fuerza Armada y del pueblo sobre todo- y ya ven que somos infranqueables a la hora de defender nuestro proceso revolucionario y a nuestro líder @NicolasMaduro El fascismo No pasará. pic.twitter.com/Nsa0fY4fOc
(Guards protect Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro)
Live footage of the event showed him suddenly looking up startled mid-speech, while beside him his wife, Cilia Flores, winces after a loud bang.
Dozens of soldiers are also seen scattering during the event to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Venezuelan national guard in the capital of Caracas.
Seven members of the national guard were hurt during the attack, which the president blamed on far-right elements and Colombia's outgoing president, Juan Manuel Santos...
The president added that there were two explosions, seconds apart, and that he initially thought they were fireworks as part of the military parade.
Venezuela's Minister of Communication, Jorge Rodriguez, said preliminary information showed the explosions came from several "drone-type flying devices" containing explosive charges that detonated in the vicinity of the presidential stage and in some areas of the parade.
This situation was predicted by author Daniel Suarez in his 2012 novel Kill Decision:
So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches to confirm the presence of the target. The spotter descends, and we think it searches the vicinity, looking for the victim's face - probably uses a cheap pocket camera face-detection chip to make a list of human faces that it compares with target photos...
Once the target is confirmed, it uses an IR laser to send a coded signal back to the parent, clearing it to attack.
(Assassination drone)
Update I also recalled this example of a drone attack in Star Wars Episode II; in this case, the payload was poisonous centipedes.
End Update
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/29/2018)
Sleeper Drones Lie in Wait
'Wandering mines, you took them out on the edge of the desert, set them down and activated them.' - Maureen F. McHugh, 1994.
Moscow Attacked By Hundreds Of Drones
'It hurtled on down with inconceivable speed until it was visible as thousands of tiny robot planes...' - Hal K. Wells, 1942.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
'Old People Began to Cross The Continent In Their Own Cars'
'It was a relief to enter one of the comfortable autos, whisper a direction down the tube, and just know that you would be taken to your destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest manner.'
Starfall Manufacturing Drugs In Space
'The vast spinning sphere of Factory in the Sky loomed above and ahead of us, gleaming white against the unfathomable jet depths of surrounding space.'
The Solar Oberth Slingshot
'And if it doesn’t work,' inquired Lazarus, 'what does that make us? Sunspots?'
'If Anyone Is Watching Earth...'
'Our study of your race has convinced us that you are not fitted to leave your planet in the present state of your civilization.'