Lol you think rich people can't afford media campaigns? A couple of wealthy right wingers own Fox News and a group of related propaganda sites, explicitly founded with the goal of lying to the American public. To protect right wing politicians. And you think a guy who makes a billion dollars a year is somehow incapable of hiring a few people to post on Reddit?

They're slow, noisy, and Ukraine has shot down a few with handheld rifles. Literally have guys who go outside and stand around taking shots at these drones and succeeding. They're not exactly high tech marvels.

You're overthinking this a bit. It's only an extra thick electrical box, the fan itself is held on by two screws. A two by six board with three or four big screws should be plenty of strength. Just make sure the board is snug against the joist so there is no trouble with vibration long term.