The RV-12 Microdrone, also known as RV-12 "Dart" Quadrotor, RV-12, or just Dart, was one of Skynet's initial forays into the deployment of Hunter-Killers.[1]
Technical Specification[]
The RV-12 Dart was built light enough for soldiers to carry them individually. Their lightweight frame limited the ability of their on-board AI, requiring the deployment of a separate "control model" unit to manage the flock. These microdrones featured infrared cameras for near-dark operations and could be configured with different lethal and non-lethal loadouts. These loadouts ranged from light submachine guns to self-destruct charges, but those placed in Skynet work camps typically carried stun guns and chemical sprays.[1]
Mission Profile[]
Originally conceived as a supplementary asset for special forces units, the RV-12 Dart was designed as a microdrone equipped with light weaponry. Built with a lightweight frame, the Dart was designed for limited-range operations, intended to be carried by soldiers in their packs and remotely piloted by human controllers. Deployed in groups of six, the RV-12 Dart was found to be equivalent to a special forces operator in hazardous close combat scenarios within urban environments. Early Cyberdyne Systems test footage shows the superior performance of a team of RV-12 Darts in Breach & Clear exercises compared to human counterparts.[1]
Skynet initially used the Darts as combat units. Recognizing their versatility, though, Skynet later used Darts for surveillance and maintaining order in the camps. Even years later, their distinctive buzzing sound, echoing throughout the camps, would trigger unsettling memories in human survivors.[1]
History[]
Darts were originally conceived as a supplementary asset for special forces units. However, the command drones, connected to remote operators, proved easily vulnerable to Skynet's influence, to the horror of the special forces units deployed alongside these microdrones during and right after Judgment Day.[1]
Darts played a pivotal role during Skynet's Southeast Asia campaign, produced within repurposed facilities at Clark Airbase and Subic Naval Base in the Philippines, which Cyberdyne Systems had bought and transformed into automated factories. They also saw use patrolling England's Quiet Zone, an area devastated by chemical and biological weapons. With the standardization of the HK-Aerial model, RV-12s became a familiar presence in Skynet work camps. As slave workforces were phased out, most RV-12 Darts were eventually repurposed or recycled.[1]