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Boeing: Robot plane drops bomb in successful test
USATODAY ^ | 4/18/2004 | AP

Posted on 04/19/2004 2:05:44 AM PDT by endthematrix

A robotic plane deliberately dropped a bomb near a truck at Edwards Air Force Base on Sunday, marking another step forward for technology the U.S. military hopes will one day replace human pilots on dangerous combat missions.

Under human supervision but without human piloting, a prototype of Boeing's X-45 took off from the desert base, opened its bomb bay doors, dropped a 250-pound Small Smart Bomb and then landed.

The inert bomb struck within inches of the truck it was supposed to hit, Boeing said, adding that had the bomb contained explosives, the target would have been destroyed.

"It's absolutely a huge step forward for us. It shows the capability of an unmanned airplane to carry weapons," said Rob Horton, Boeing's chief operator for the mission. "From the video, you see the weapon going down and a huge cloud of dust and the truck shaking around."

The X-45A was preprogrammed with the target coordinates and used the satellite-based Global Positioning System to adjust its course.

Horton, who was sitting 80 miles from the target, authorized the drone to drop the bomb, which was released from 35,000 feet as the plane flew at 442 mph.

The military sees such aircraft taking part in its most dangerous missions, such as bombing enemy radar and surface-to-air missile batteries, in order to clear the path for human pilots.

The Y-shaped, tailless plane has a 34-foot wingspan and weighs 8,000 pounds empty. It is the first drone designed specifically to carry weapons into combat.

Other robotic planes, including the Predator spy drone currently being used in Afghanistan, have been modified to carry weapons.

Boeing hopes to build hundreds of the X-45 planes, which would cost $10 million to $15 million each.

(Excerpt) Read more at usatoday.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: boeing; bomber; pilotlessaircraft; remotecontrol; robot; uav; uavx45; x45

1 posted on 04/19/2004 2:05:45 AM PDT by endthematrix
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To: Admin Moderator
Excerpted?
2 posted on 04/19/2004 2:07:14 AM PDT by endthematrix (To enter my lane you must use your turn signal!)
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To: endthematrix; Admin Moderator
I did run a search prior to posting this...really!
3 posted on 04/19/2004 2:10:39 AM PDT by endthematrix (To enter my lane you must use your turn signal!)
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To: endthematrix
Note to China, North Korea, and Iran: By the time these are fully deployed they will be capable of flying completely autonomously and will hunt in packs.

Resistance is futile. Assimilation is our choice, not yours.
4 posted on 04/19/2004 2:20:57 AM PDT by datura (Time to admit this is a war of Islam versus the US. They are ALL the enemy.)
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To: datura
But what's the point of having all these weapons if you're not prepared to use them? Re: Iraq, where a 2 bit gangster like Al-Sadr is laughing in our faces, and is claiming that he is "negotiating" with the US. Would the US military negotiate with Al Capone?

What I mean is that as the US (and it's virtually only the US) develops these high-tech weapons, it gives you the ability to take out any military in the world with minimal casualties to yourselves and the enemy. But the enemy doesn't seem to know it is beaten. What do we have to do? Dresdenize Arab cities? Do we even have that heavy bomber capability? AFAIK the US is the only country in the world with a functioning heavy bomber force.

War is also an industrial competition, we in the West seem to be producing more expensive, fewer weapons, while the third world keeps large, primitive standing armies. The result is a force mismatch - look at the assassination of Al Rantisi in Gaza, where Israel performed a pinpoint strike and killed a couple of people, but has it defeated Hamas? No way. What would? Flatten the Gaza strip like the Allies did to Germany in WW2. The Palestinians are not AFRAID. Until the Arabs fear for their very existence there will be NO END to war and terror in the Middle East. Democratising Iraq will make no difference, IMHO.

Sorry if it sounds like I am ranting, it's a bad morning at work and I think the West is losing. We have no will left.

5 posted on 04/19/2004 2:40:56 AM PDT by alnitak ("That kid's about as sharp as a pound of wet liver" - Foghorn Leghorn)
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To: alnitak
I won't cheer you up when most of that tech is given away way too soon to our "allies."
6 posted on 04/19/2004 2:46:46 AM PDT by endthematrix (To enter my lane you must use your turn signal!)
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To: endthematrix
I think this is impressive. However, when I heard about it the first thing I though of was the Terminator movies, with the Matrix movies being the second. I wonder when they will become sentient. I'm not sure I want to be around when that happens.
7 posted on 04/19/2004 3:25:56 AM PDT by GBA
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To: endthematrix
More pictures here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1120086/posts?page=63

Don't worry about the double post, it has been hours since it was posted earlier and different sources.
8 posted on 04/19/2004 4:49:37 AM PDT by Lokibob (All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
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To: endthematrix
Other ongoing projects


9 posted on 04/19/2004 5:05:23 AM PDT by OXENinFLA
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To: endthematrix
Very cool, we need robot tanks and infantry too. We shouldn't have to spill American blood over some daiperheads' centuries old squabble.

The people of the daiper are as meaningless as the pixels of a video arcade and should be dealt with as such.

10 posted on 04/19/2004 5:21:01 AM PDT by rageaholic
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To: datura
"Resistance is futile. Assimilation is our choice, not yours."

LOL! The X-45 Borg: Coming to a combat theater near you!
11 posted on 04/19/2004 5:58:54 AM PDT by ISonnet
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To: rageaholic
I have always been a big fan of newer-cooler military tech. But now that my daughter is in the Army I think about how many armored Humvees could be built for the cost of one of these incredibly high-tech planes. Priorities need to be reassessed.
12 posted on 04/19/2004 6:40:39 AM PDT by metalcor
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To: metalcor
"I have always been a big fan of newer-cooler military tech. But now that my daughter is in the Army I think about how many armored Humvees could be built for the cost of one of these incredibly high-tech planes. Priorities need to be reassessed."

If your daughter were a pilot, you'd sure be glad that the first wave of attack were robotic and not human, though...
13 posted on 04/19/2004 7:23:24 AM PDT by adam_az (Call your state Republican party office and VOLUNTEER FOR A CAMPAIGN!!!)
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To: metalcor
A technical advantage that takes an American soldier out of harms way is worth looking at. This aircraft and armor for Humvees share that goal. I agree, there's an urgent need for more & better armored light vehicles. This was obvious since Somalia. I'm sure the military R&D people are working on it, its just less newsworthy than robots. Wishing your daughter the best of luck!

14 posted on 04/19/2004 8:23:46 AM PDT by rageaholic
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To: rageaholic
Agree. but like you said, the need has been obvious since somalia. It is a disgrace that we sent them over there without enough armored vehicles for all. Or robotic vehicles to attract the jihadist moths to the flame, so to speak.
15 posted on 04/19/2004 9:58:57 AM PDT by metalcor
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