Let'sgoflying!
Touchdown! Greaser!
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The Phantom Ray
The Phantom Ray
Newest uav
- Thread starter Let'sgoflying!
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Steve
En-Route
Aurora Flight Sciences is working on a vtol uav. The company has offices in MS.
http://www.aurora.aero/TacticalSystems/ExcaliburVideo.aspx
http://bluebird-uav.com/PDF/MicroB_brochure_2009.pdf
http://www.aurora.aero/TacticalSystems/ExcaliburVideo.aspx
http://bluebird-uav.com/PDF/MicroB_brochure_2009.pdf
John Baker
Final Approach
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John Baker
So, warfare becomes completely automated someday into the future. Flying weapons systems that can refuel themselves and most likely re-arm themselves. They will probably have targets and missions designed, selected, and controlled by advanced combat computer systems. They'll probably name it Skynet or some such thing.
Our adversaries will undoubtedly develop their own robotic defense and tactical systems as well, as that would be the only logical step they could take if they want to survive.
If humans are eventually determined to be too slow to keep up with the technology, and are forced to relinquish control to computer systems in order to survive, where is this taking our species?
It has obviously started. Where are we going? What if we did decide this is a bad road to be heading down, would the Chinese or Russians agree with us? Not very likely. No matter how good a human fighter pilot we train, their is no way a human could go up against an advanced machine, we are not that precision.
In my picture framing industry, every shop always had it's Prima Dona, the person who cut mats. I was able to cut a perfect mat in under a minute, I got so good at it. Now most shops, including mine have CMCs (computer operated mat cutters) It takes only seconds to not only cut a perfect mat, but cut complex designs as well.
I know that is a simple analogy, but it is true, machines can do it faster, and better, than a human.
We are at the very beginning of this type of technology, much like the first radios used on ships in the early part of the 20th century. We look at those primitive contraptions and marvel at their simplicity. Look at us now. Where will we be in fifty or a hundred years?
Heck, we are even working on biological based machines. Computers that replicate themselves, micro biological machines, and a host of other weird things.
John
Our adversaries will undoubtedly develop their own robotic defense and tactical systems as well, as that would be the only logical step they could take if they want to survive.
If humans are eventually determined to be too slow to keep up with the technology, and are forced to relinquish control to computer systems in order to survive, where is this taking our species?
It has obviously started. Where are we going? What if we did decide this is a bad road to be heading down, would the Chinese or Russians agree with us? Not very likely. No matter how good a human fighter pilot we train, their is no way a human could go up against an advanced machine, we are not that precision.
In my picture framing industry, every shop always had it's Prima Dona, the person who cut mats. I was able to cut a perfect mat in under a minute, I got so good at it. Now most shops, including mine have CMCs (computer operated mat cutters) It takes only seconds to not only cut a perfect mat, but cut complex designs as well.
I know that is a simple analogy, but it is true, machines can do it faster, and better, than a human.
We are at the very beginning of this type of technology, much like the first radios used on ships in the early part of the 20th century. We look at those primitive contraptions and marvel at their simplicity. Look at us now. Where will we be in fifty or a hundred years?
Heck, we are even working on biological based machines. Computers that replicate themselves, micro biological machines, and a host of other weird things.
John
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Dr. O
Pattern Altitude
We are headed to the "Terminator" movie vision of warfare by autonomous HK war machines... It is inevitable... The X37 being flown by the air force at this very moment is just another small step in that evolution - orbital re-entry and landing by onboard computer systems...
The biggest threat to that vision for the USA is whether we will bankrupt the country before the machines are fully developed - there is a very high percentage chance that we will be bankrupt within 10 years given the current party-in-power's propensity to print money for endless entitlement programs, leaving the ex-soviet strong man in Russia well positioned to be the winner of that arms race given their endless oil reserves... The cold war ain't over yet, baby...
denny-o
The biggest threat to that vision for the USA is whether we will bankrupt the country before the machines are fully developed - there is a very high percentage chance that we will be bankrupt within 10 years given the current party-in-power's propensity to print money for endless entitlement programs, leaving the ex-soviet strong man in Russia well positioned to be the winner of that arms race given their endless oil reserves... The cold war ain't over yet, baby...
denny-o
KSCessnaDriver
Pattern Altitude
Its about time we catch up to the Russians. They did the same thing with Buran in 1988. Why its taken us 22 years to do the same thing is beyond me, but I suppose there is some reason.
John Baker
Final Approach
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China, in the end, will probably be the winner. Take a walk through any U.S. higher education science, physics, or engineering labs. Chinese seem to take education a whole lot more seriously than most of us round eyes, and in many cases, we are the ones providing it.
China is entering space, expanding it's navy into a blue water force, their country is blossoming. Ours, well.....it's probably more of a spin zone topic, but we seem to be pulling back somewhat.
Russia, who knows were they are heading, they do enjoy their vodka though.
John
China is entering space, expanding it's navy into a blue water force, their country is blossoming. Ours, well.....it's probably more of a spin zone topic, but we seem to be pulling back somewhat.
Russia, who knows were they are heading, they do enjoy their vodka though.
John
Pi1otguy
Pattern Altitude
Other then the "SkyNet" issue, the UCAV has a significant C&C weakness. The insurgents have demonstrated they can tap data from our UAVs with a ~$25 piece of software. It's only logical to assume China has a method to hack our UCAVs or atleast some perform some flavor of DOS. Even if we harden our software they can still just blow our satellites.
That and UAVs present a lot of tech for the opposing side to collect after a crash. Just look at the D-21.
That and UAVs present a lot of tech for the opposing side to collect after a crash. Just look at the D-21.