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2006-11-20 Home Front: WoT
Tinfoil Alert: Global Hawk to Fly 1st Mission Over U.S.
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Posted by .com 2006-11-20 13:02|| || Front Page|| [11130 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 This is the beginning of the end to manned military flights. It won't be but another 20 years and everything except troop transport will be unmanned. I see this as a good thing. I wonder if the stick jockeys at Beal get flight pay?
Posted by 49 Pan">49 Pan  2006-11-20 13:43||   2006-11-20 13:43|| Front Page Top

#2 Have them orbit over San Francisco. 24 hours a day. And make sure everybody sees them.
Posted by tu3031 2006-11-20 14:02||   2006-11-20 14:02|| Front Page Top

#3 Better to have them orbit over jihadis rather than scaring the tin-foil hat wearing community.
Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-11-20 14:14||   2006-11-20 14:14|| Front Page Top

#4 wait for the paranoid to latch onto the last sentence..."but most will be based overseas." not knowing HOW many or WHERE they will be deployed will drive them stark raving mad (der?).....HAHAHAHHA
Posted by USN, ret. 2006-11-20 14:18||   2006-11-20 14:18|| Front Page Top

#5 They could probably put 20 C-182's (including sensor package) with pilot & observer for what one of these things will cost.
Posted by Throger Thains8048 2006-11-20 14:20||   2006-11-20 14:20|| Front Page Top

#6 
Don't these work better than tinfoil hats?
Posted by Raj 2006-11-20 14:37||   2006-11-20 14:37|| Front Page Top

#7 Throger Thains8048, yes, you probably could, but you couldn't perform the mission. C-182's would have a problem trying to get to 65,000 feet and it is very doubtful that the C-182 would survive very long in hostile airspace. Global Hawk is replacing the U-2 and TR-1 not Guardrail. Now there is considerable discussion about whether it might be cheaper to convert the existing U-2 fleet to UAVs than to bring on Global Hawk, but that sort of thing is normal. Big boy toys cost big bucks.
Posted by RWV 2006-11-20 14:39||   2006-11-20 14:39|| Front Page Top

#8 I hope they're flying border-surveillance flights. I recommended this to the military some three years ago. We used to cover the trails and road systems in Southeast Asia with RF-4Cs and earlier aircraft. The Global Hawk and other recce drones are far better, have greater capability, and near-instantaneous datalink. It would go a long way toward sealing our southern border from infiltration, as well as helping us establish the links within the US. I wonder if my former boss, Colonel Bill, is running this show...
Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot  2006-11-20 14:46|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]  2006-11-20 14:46|| Front Page Top

#9 At 65000 feet, NOBODY can see them.
Posted by mojo">mojo  2006-11-20 14:53||   2006-11-20 14:53|| Front Page Top

#10 OP: As a reality check, until we get rid of the catch and release(tm), it actually won't protect our border. We'll just have video of them sneaking across.

Now, if they're outfitted with hellfire missiles, that's a different ballgame......
Posted by BA 2006-11-20 14:54||   2006-11-20 14:54|| Front Page Top

#11 I've allways advocated Police Apache Helicopters to deal with car crime.

would make "police Stop" type shows more interesting.
Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-11-20 15:04||   2006-11-20 15:04|| Front Page Top

#12 They could probably put 20 C-182's (including sensor package) with pilot & observer for what one of these things will cost

True but they would need 20 C-182s to do what one Global Hawk could do. Too many major differences to list. 340 kts vs. 140 kts. 12,000 nm range to 1000 nm range. 65,000 ft. ceiling (above GA aircraft) vs. 18,000 ft. ceiling. etc. etc. etc. Not to mention payload. A 182 could only handle a portion of the surveillance equipment not to mention the ordnance.
Posted by Intrinsicpilot 2006-11-20 15:13||   2006-11-20 15:13|| Front Page Top

#13 mojo, unfortunately not so, it just limits who can shoot at you to the guys who use really big bullets.
Posted by RWV 2006-11-20 15:15||   2006-11-20 15:15|| Front Page Top

#14 I am 100 percent against unmaned combat aircraft.
If we develope it, someone will steal it and then, their combat aircraft will be equal to ours.
Let's keep the pilots working, and keep the robots slow and dumb.
Posted by wxjames 2006-11-20 15:17||   2006-11-20 15:17|| Front Page Top

#15 wxjames, the problem isn't building the control package, it is building the aircraft. Lockheed built a remote control / automatic version of the Raptor to demonstrate what could be done with robotics and remote control. Countries that can build Playstation 3's can make drones. However, designing and building state of the art fighter aircraft is a little tougher. When all is said and done, the avionics are the key to air supremacy.
Posted by RWV 2006-11-20 15:32||   2006-11-20 15:32|| Front Page Top

#16 Can I use it for deer hunting? Maybe a couple mosque fly overs?
Posted by Icerigger 2006-11-20 15:39||   2006-11-20 15:39|| Front Page Top

#17 Raj - It depends on the wavelength of the mind-control ray in question, relative to the aperture size of your colander.
Posted by eLarson 2006-11-20 16:34|| http://larsonian.blogspot.com]">[http://larsonian.blogspot.com]  2006-11-20 16:34|| Front Page Top

#18 #6: Don't these work better than tinfoil hats?

They are certainly more durable, and you can hold onto them better when there is a strong wind so you're not as apt to lose it and go completely unprotected. However some radiation can get through the holes . . .
Posted by John Fn Kerry 2006-11-20 16:41||   2006-11-20 16:41|| Front Page Top

#19 On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets:
An Empirical Study
Posted by SR-71 2006-11-20 16:59||   2006-11-20 16:59|| Front Page Top

#20 I'll bet they'll be seen over Dolphin Stadium in Feb 07!
Posted by doc 2006-11-20 18:06||   2006-11-20 18:06|| Front Page Top

#21 Yeah, it turns out that tinfoil hats actually improve electromagnetic reception. Oh, the irony!
Posted by Scooter McGruder 2006-11-20 18:42||   2006-11-20 18:42|| Front Page Top

#22 $80 million each?!

Wow I didn't realize how expensive it was!
Posted by Jesing Ebbease3087 2006-11-20 19:39||   2006-11-20 19:39|| Front Page Top

#23 Watch and learn!
Posted by Gary Powers 2006-11-20 20:09||   2006-11-20 20:09|| Front Page Top

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