Article

2007-11-04 Britain

Rise of the machines?? - Pilotless Plane Can Launch Own Attacks

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Delphi 2007-11-04 22:42|| || Front Page|| [14 views ] Top

#1 Hat tip to BAE. The money saved on flight pay and golf courses alone should make these units affordable at nearly any price.

Posted by Besoeker 2007-11-04 01:50|| 2007-11-04 01:50|| Front Page Top

#2 At least they did not name it the M-5

Posted by Agar, Conquistador of the Voles007 2007-11-04 02:27|| 2007-11-04 02:27|| Front Page Top

#3 Now we know why the Brits have been delaying paying for IFF technology. They probably figure the rest of the civilized world will probably be glad to give it to them as a "gift" once they start using it! :-)

Posted by gorb 2007-11-04 02:57|| 2007-11-04 02:57|| Front Page Top

#4 Will it be running Vista ?

Posted by john frum 2007-11-04 06:37|| 2007-11-04 06:37|| Front Page Top

#5 I, for one, welcome the rule of our new autonomous flying overlords.

Posted by Mike 2007-11-04 07:09|| 2007-11-04 07:09|| Front Page Top

#6 "Return to base, HAL."
"I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that."

Posted by SteveS 2007-11-04 08:27|| 2007-11-04 08:27|| Front Page Top

#7 "Return to base, HAL."
"I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that."

"Tee time at 13:00 HAL"
"Inbound, ETA 12:32 Requesting permission to land"

Posted by Thomas Woof 2007-11-04 08:44|| 2007-11-04 08:44|| Front Page Top

#8 Hell, I'm waiting for them to contract it all out, to kids on their XBoxes and PS3 who can sit at home and do it remotely.

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-11-04 09:04|| 2007-11-04 09:04|| Front Page Top

#9 "...to kids on their XBoxes and PS3 who can sit at home and do it remotely."

The US Airforce should ask the gaming conventions to be scheduled during Ramadan, part of the contests would be kills in Iraq and Afghanistan, level 1 winners can hunt down screetch and Osama Bin Hiding in Paky Land using stealth stuff.

War over.

Posted by Crereper Bucket4485 2007-11-04 10:30|| 2007-11-04 10:30|| Front Page Top

#10 Air war is getting a lot more interesting. Future manned ops will be stealth penetration and 2nd echelon high performance, and long range rear area logistics transport.

The drones will be recce of all varieties, high tech fighter aircraft, and armadas of low tech, inexpensive aircraft to vie with each other and the high tech fighters.

An attack would commence with stealth bombers hitting critical enemy C&C points, then a low tech air armada would be launched, along with cruise missiles, against major targets. This would be defended against with low tech drone fighters, while the high tech drones tried to get and keep air supremacy in the higher altitudes and take out manned enemy fighters.

While faster and more maneuverable, the high tech drones couldn't descend into the low tech space without becoming prime targets; but low tech drones couldn't venture up that high against the superior aircraft.

In case of a breakthrough in either direction, the manned aircraft in the 2nd echelon would police up any drones that penetrated.

All told, one hell of a dogfight, while trying to take out major ground targets at the same time.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-11-04 13:07|| 2007-11-04 13:07|| Front Page Top

#11 The British next will come up with robotic infanty. The perk is they will be programmed not to surrender unlike some of thier regular forces.

Posted by Leah Ashley 2007-11-04 14:50|| 2007-11-04 14:50|| Front Page Top

#12 Paging Dr. Forbin.

Posted by Eric Jablow">Eric Jablow 2007-11-04 15:13|| 2007-11-04 15:13|| Front Page Top

#13 Headed towards Ender's Game.

Posted by OldSpook 2007-11-04 16:33|| 2007-11-04 16:33|| Front Page Top

#14 The furball is shedding.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-11-04 19:52|| 2007-11-04 19:52|| Front Page Top

#15 Anonymoose, you assume that other countries are going to choose to afford these things. Look at Iran, our next opponent: their pilots get hardly any plain vanilla flight time, and that only when the technicians cannibalize one airplane to get replacement parts for the next one. Or Russia, which finally has enough oil profits to feed, clothe and maybe even pay the human forces. In Britain the only way they get to do the development work is by positioning the things as environmentally better than actual airplanes, according to lotp. The EU isn't going to spend money for such things, so who are you thinking of? Chavez's Venezuela?

Separately, let the Wii kiddies play with the things and it will all be over in hours.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2007-11-04 21:06|| 2007-11-04 21:06|| Front Page Top

#16 China, tw. At least they will give it a serious try, and so long as they have enough government control and unmarriable young men to push resources into military R&D, after their grad students come home from our computer science and engineering and physics schools.

Posted by lotp 2007-11-04 21:16|| 2007-11-04 21:16|| Front Page Top

#17 Bleh, that was badly worded. Time to go to bed.

China will make a try for this I think. Or possibly Japan if the nationalists gain control again.

Posted by lotp 2007-11-04 21:17|| 2007-11-04 21:17|| Front Page Top

#18 I didn't think of them, lotp -- thanks. My apologies, Anonymoose.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2007-11-04 21:18|| 2007-11-04 21:18|| Front Page Top

23:08 twobyfour
22:10 rjschwarz
21:20 trailing wife
21:18 trailing wife
21:17 trailing wife
21:17 lotp
21:16 lotp
21:06 trailing wife
20:58 trailing wife
20:56 trailing wife
20:41 McZoid
20:41 trailing wife
20:38 Pappy
20:36 McZoid
20:19 Deacon Blues
20:02 Zenster
20:01 Jules
19:56 Damn
19:52 Crereper Bucket4485
19:52 Zenster
19:26 Zenster
19:23 Alaska Paul
19:22 Alaska Paul
19:20 Zenster