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2012-03-21 Science & Technology
X-47B Drone Will Carry 4,500 Pounds Of Weapons, Operate Independently
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Posted by tu3031 2012-03-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ]  Top

#1 The drone will be programmed to fly autonomously and this ability may be the first in a whole new era of military action conducted by independently operating machines.


I remember fly-by-wire trials in heavy thermals and storm fronts. Only the standby pilots saved (most) of the aircraft.

Must have a good history of remote piloting with the UAV fleet to aid the programming scenarios.
Posted by Skidmark 2012-03-21 11:54||   2012-03-21 11:54|| Front Page Top

#2 Well, here I go again...
the Navy announced it will be able to refuel itself by 2014.

Refueling is good for on orbit observation, but I wonder why a drone weapons delivery platform needs refueling? Reuse from a airlaunch?
Posted by Skidmark 2012-03-21 12:05||   2012-03-21 12:05|| Front Page Top

#3 Skynet was unavailable for comment.

(But some electronic-sounding cackling was heard from the area of the computer room...)
Posted by CrazyFool 2012-03-21 12:27||   2012-03-21 12:27|| Front Page Top

#4 but I wonder why a drone weapons delivery platform needs refueling?

To get back home. Tank up on the way to the target, tank up on the way back.
Posted by SteveS 2012-03-21 12:44||   2012-03-21 12:44|| Front Page Top

#5 Must have a good history of remote piloting with the UAV fleet to aid the programming scenarios.

Artificial Intelligence, after a few decades of unfilled promises, has made some big leaps lately with the advent of probabilistic robotics. It may sound wacky, but it seems to work. Witness Google's self-driving car which has gone 100,000 miles all on its own.
Posted by SteveS 2012-03-21 12:47||   2012-03-21 12:47|| Front Page Top

#6 Autonomous operation for a plane isn't that hard a problem. Commercial airplanes have been pretty much flying themselves for years.

I think solar powered planes aren't that far away that could keep flying for weeks.
Posted by Phil_B 2012-03-21 13:20||   2012-03-21 13:20|| Front Page Top

#7 It's one thing to have an independently operating drone orbiting over a target. I am one of those who would like to have a human pull the trigger to actually launch a weapon.
Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2012-03-21 16:59||   2012-03-21 16:59|| Front Page Top

#8 Rambler, count on the fact that it will be a human who authorizes any missile launch. The concerns of Noel Sharkey are unfounded.

These articles are written to plant the rogue robot concern in the heads of the reader. That way the writer can pat himself on the back for being edgy. What the writer should actually do is slam his fingers in a door and call himself stupd, cause stupid is as stupid does.
Posted by remoteman 2012-03-21 19:15||   2012-03-21 19:15|| Front Page Top

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