US Navy's robot stealth carrier plane unveiled US aerospace'n'killware goliath Northrop Grumman yesterday took the wraps off one of the most advanced robot aircraft in the world, the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS). The X-47B is intended to operate from the flight deck of US Navy aircraft carriers, carrying out entire missions including air-to-air refuelling without …
Yeah, kinda beat me too it, I was all "autonomous armed stealth plane — seen that before...". Luckily I never got to see the movie but even from the trailers I could very well make out that this is something that pretty much has no other choice than to go very, very wrong. And different from C-movies with A-budgets you cannot simply employ some ludicrous plot device in order to clean up the mess.
For human pilots, yes. However, the F/A-18's fully automated ILS hits the 3rd wire each time. It does it so well, that it is very seldom used as it provides the pilot with an unfair advantages (your traps are scored by your squadron mates as part of an internal squadron "competition").
And on a cat launch, the Hornet driver needs to grab (with both hands) the hand holds at the top front of the cockpit before being launched.. at that part is fully automated.
So I fail to see why UAV launches and traps would be a big deal when these are already successfully automated in the F/A-18.
The big deal instead is, "Can the UAV, without human intelligence onboard, operate as well?". What happens with lost radio comms? Jamming? Sudden changes (as there often are) in the combat environment that requires an immediate and fast tactical response? Know fact that computers can do specific things "better" than humans - like hitting the 3rd wire. Also a know fact that even the most advanced computers fail miserably at tasks that requires common sense.
"computers can do specific things "better" than humans - like hitting the 3rd wire"
Indeed. Docking was easier in Elite with the docking computer, too. What are those pilots squealing about? Man up and get with the programme (and, indeed, the program), for goodness' sake! :-)
> won't be looking forward to telling their children that there's no longer any way to win one's glorious wings of gold and the respect of the nation
Not to mention it'll make it much more difficult to try to get Kelly McGillis' knickers off in the Ladies Room...
... Mine's the one with the off-key copy of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" in the pocket.
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I think this is the one your after....
"The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug."
Paris.... I dunno, something funny involving human decisions being removed or pulling the plug, I'll leave it up to you lot, it's been one of those days.
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I wave my hand at the dumb lumps of lead that want to eat this waste of money, I thought that this stuff was because pilots is too expensive to let die. Actually, if they have been practising shooting wump-rats on Tatoonine, they are cheap.
And do you think that people will get patriotic over our robots vs their robots? No sir. Not unless the robots turn up in a wheelchair, shed a tear at the national anthem and suck ass when given a medal.
We are sending Pacman to war, not Wall-e.
"For a properly prepared and combat ready Mig or Eurofighter." - Well, ignoring the issue that there ISN'T really a properly prepared Eurofighter, I doubt that's its intended function. The US has largely shifted its military policy from nukes and high-tech fighters to 'how many brown people with sticks can we kill today?'.
Wait, wait, wait, wait... are you telling me that I've got it wrong, and that I actually need to, for one, welcome our miniscule multisegemented hard carapaced six limbed hive mind Queen Ant overlord, she whom commands the winged autonomotons bearing lethal silicon death from yon clouded skies above?
Black Helos - who flys the watchants watching the other ants?
um... no. It IS an air intake. Perhaps one with a reflective plastic cover to keep out prying eyes and unwanted bits, but an intake nonetheless.
http://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/military_photos_20052151.aspx
BTW, will someone PLEASE send these id10ts copies of the Terminator movies before it's too...
Wait, who are you and how did you get in here? AUUUUUGGHH!
end.
This is a stealth aircraft, not a dog fighter. It's designed to carry out missions like any other UAV but is designed to be nearly invisible to radar. One would think that it's main mission would be to deliver ordnance to specific static targets. Although it has nearly an unlimited range, the hang time over a specific point is limited since the required fuel tankers are not stealthed. However, just getting in and out unseen with pictures of the enemy is a big plus for the war machine.
It's not a frakkin' air intake or window, I tells ya.
It's that black bit with the red blip that goes whoop, whoop... whoop, whoop... For the last time, it's a frakkin' Cylon.
The link you gave
http://www.is.northropgrumman.com/systems/nucasx47b_assets/photos/low/0012.jpg
... just shows a happy space invader. (Why? Cos he's just landed at the northrop grumman base innit?)
L2id_your_alienz_plz
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