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2009-05-15 Home Front: WoT

Gates says next-generation bomber might fly without pilot

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Posted by tu3031 2009-05-15 10:36|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 I think Gates is correct. His position will cause all sorts of political turmoil though, until contracts for unmanned aircraft get distributed amongst the districts of the various power brokers.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2009-05-15 11:14|| 2009-05-15 11:14|| Front Page Top

#2 Perhaps it is time to consider an alternate force structure. A robot airforce would suggest just folding the robots into the existing Navy and Army. But is that the best solution to our nation's defense.
Perhaps it an Object Oriented view might be better. A quiet discussion of alternatives could be useful.

Example - Maybe rearrange into something like:
special forces
Attack forces
occupation forces
shock forces
defensive forces
Coin forces
no typical army navy airforce with troops able to transition from one type of command to another.

Posted by 3dc 2009-05-15 14:59|| 2009-05-15 14:59|| Front Page Top

#3 Careful, you're rapidly approaching "Skynet".

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2009-05-15 15:34|| 2009-05-15 15:34|| Front Page Top

#4 With all the cockpit accoutrements needed only for a human pilot stripped out, a given craft can maybe be lighter or cheaper or both. With the ability of one UAV "pilot" to fly several craft at once, the savings would add up. Of course, any signal can in theory be jammed...

Posted by M. Murcek 2009-05-15 16:03|| 2009-05-15 16:03|| Front Page Top

#5 any signal can in theory be jammed...

Arificial Intelligence. Programs that not only deliver a payload to a defined target, but can react to threats, divert to alternative targets, even re-evaluate the target. Even cruise missiles can do some of that now.

Not only can an unmanned aircraft be lighter without the human support system, it can be designed to the limits of the materials and not to the limits of the crew. You can make aircraft that will stay glued together as they pull g's to the point of killing the pilot even with the anti-g suits. Take out the pilot and pull g's til the airframes break. Then build stronger airframes.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2009-05-15 16:50|| 2009-05-15 16:50|| Front Page Top

#6 Most of the newer mods of F-16 and F-15 can easily outfly the pilot, pulling enough Gs to incapacitate or even kill pilots without overstressing the airframe. The flight control software does not permit such movements as a normal flight item, but can be disabled for known combat situations.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2009-05-15 17:52|| 2009-05-15 17:52|| Front Page Top

#7 As incompetent as the Department of Defense seems to be at cybersecurity, the idea of placing vital segments of our national defense in a position to be operated remotely seems somewhat... short-sighted.

Prove to me that you actually take network security seriously, and maybe then I might believe that you could successfully fight a war with oh, say, China via remote control.

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2009-05-15 18:00|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2009-05-15 18:00|| Front Page Top

#8 Unmanned strategic bomber versus UNMANNED ARMED DIRIGIBLE = UNMANNED AIRBORNE ARSENAL/FIRE SHIP.

* D *** NGED "NICK FURY" + SHIELD, SHADO, etc!

Posted by JosephMendiola 2009-05-15 19:33|| 2009-05-15 19:33|| Front Page Top

#9 Shaking GREEN LANTERN fists angrily.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2009-05-15 19:34|| 2009-05-15 19:34|| Front Page Top

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