Boeing combines robotic unit with its traditional weapons

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | March 30, 2005 | Tim McLaughlin

[Righty_McRight]

Boeing Co. has announced a new organization that brings its robotic-airplane program into the same fold as traditional Air Force fighters, bombers and weapons.

Based in St. Louis, it will be called Air Force Systems Global Strike Solutions, the company said Wednesday.

Darryl W. Davis, who has been running Boeing's unmanned combat aircraft program, will lead the new unit, which will have about 3,000 people throughout Boeing Integrated Defense Systems and $3 billion in annual revenue.

Boeing wants a flexible organization that can anticipate and respond to the requirements of the Air Force, Davis said.

Under Davis, Boeing's robotic combat plane, the X-45, has become a leading contender for possible full-scale production. Northrop Grumman Corp. is a chief competitor as the Pentagon and Air Force formulate ways to use robotic planes and traditional fighter jets in combat.

Boeing executives hope they can build dozens of advanced X-45s with the same St. Louis work force that makes F-15s and F/A-18 Super Hornets. Davis said Boeing's military customers are demanding that future airplane and weapons systems be able to communicate with each other through a common operating system.

[Righty_McRight]

X-45A

[MacDorcha]

Fun go-booms! :)

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Thought you might be interested in this.

[hleewilder]

As a St. Louisan, I'm glad to have the project in town.

As an aside, I still think these things could very easily be mistaken as some sort of so-called 'Extraterrestial' Craft. After a bottle of Jack or maybe just a change in your anti-depression medicine (or both -- wink) you might even see one of these and think that little gray people are coming out of it, just to jam some sort of probe somewhere.

Nah, nobody's that dumb, are they?

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Just as the Internet lashed together millions of personal computers and created a universal communications system, the Pentagon will spend billions of dollars to link ships, satellites, planes, soldiers and robotic air and land vehicles to create a futuristic fighting force.

Sounds like a natural MS Windows operation.

[Centurion2000]

Nice, we're looking at America's first generation of unmanned fighters.

I'd like to see some commie jet jockey try to keep up with a 20G turn.

[spinestein]

This is just like in "The Terminator".

[spinestein]

You don't suppose that fighter plane has a Windows OS, do you?







Sell! Sell! Sell!

:^)

[Righty_McRight]

Boeingnet may become sentient...doooom.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Gives new meaning to The Blue Screen of Death.

[spinestein]

"Sir, the plane is no longer responding to our commands."

"Then hit the escape key."

"It's not working, sir. The plane is becoming more unstable by the second. It's about to crash into an orphanage!"

"Quick! hit ctrl+alt+delete!"

"It's the blue screen of death! Oh, my God, sir! What will we do?!"

"Those poor children."

[ProudVet77]

Not yet, we need more time to do the technology (software), but we are getting mighty close. The first you'll see these in use will be as CAP and other boring missions, as well as act as wingman to a manned fighter. Bothe have been tested with the X-45A, soon to be replaced by the X-45C (aka A-45)

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Thank you for the ping. What a spooky looking machine. FReegards....