Drone-carrying drones and the old bomber problem

Very small drones are judged a greater concern in confined waters, such as the Strait of Hormuz or Suez Canal, than for a carrier operating roughly a hundred miles offshore. Larger drones could reach farther, but their greater cost would make missile interception a more worthwhile exchange. A cheap carrier drone could alter that calculation by transporting many smaller autonomous drones to the edge of the defended area. It could release them at a programmed point or when a warning receiver detected a threat. The tactical problem resembles defence against Soviet Backfire bombers: intercept the delivery aircraft before it releases numerous smaller threats. Distance, the Earth's curvature, logistics, and the need to stop weapons that pass the outer defences would still constrain the defender.