New robotic stealth fighter jet set to soar

Live Science via Yahoo News ^ | 5/14/2010 | Live Science via Yahoo News

[piytar]

Game changer. Imagine 1000 of these in an airspace with this mission profile: “Kill all ground radar and all aircraft moving faster than 200 mph except B52s, B1s, and B2s.”

So much for the enemy’s air defenses. Bomb at will.

Scary stuff.

[2aberro]

Ya,,, but a F86 Sabre (with a pilot) could bring it down with little trouble. In fact, the F86 was faster.(ps, a F86 was a 1960 fighter jet)

But it will be effective against camel jockeys. (as would a F86 with a pilot) with a cost savings of millions. But, we have printing press's making money 24/7. Whats a few billion these days.

[katana]

[Ken522]

Beautiful looking aircraft - I wonder what that blue light is?

[Syntyr]

Yeah the F86 might be faster but the Phantom Ray can probably, I say probably because we dont know, out maneuver the F86 easily. With no human aboard the flight envelope can dramatically change. No red out or black out limits

[Campion]

Ya,,, but a F86 Sabre (with a pilot) could bring it down with little trouble.

*If* he can make visual contact (radar won't see it) and *if* he doesn't get out-maneuvered (no pilot means it can pull more G's) and *if* he can get within gun range, because his missiles won't work (radar and IR aren't going to see anything).

[2aberro]

out maneuver the F86 easily

Sorry to disagree,, I bet maneuverability was the last thing on the designers list. That was my point. This RC airplane is a missle launching platform only. F86 would eat its lunch in a dog fight. My point was that an old aircraft with a pilot could take it out. Lord only knows what a High tech fighter would do to it.

[2aberro]

*if* he can get within gun range

F86 is faster,, quad 50's.... game over.

[lurk]

Pilot endurance of g forces is somewhere around 9-10. Take out the pilot and you’ve got a plane that can really turn a corner

[q_an_a]

Wait wait - it was done with 0 contracts and 0 defense department funding - according to local TV in Dallas. If that is true then we are entering a new era.

[2aberro]

Pilot endurance of g forces is somewhere around 9-10. Take out the pilot and you’ve got a plane that can really turn a corner

no argument over that statement,, but the RC airplane still has to overcome high speed stalls, etc. I doubt dog fights were in its design parameters. Camel humpers don't have airplanes.

[Kirkwood]

“Beautiful looking aircraft - I wonder what that blue light is?”

Attention shoppers for a K-Mart Special.

[Kirkwood]

“I bet maneuverability was the last thing on the designers list. “

Implement the evasive maneuver programming and the human pilot is left shaking his head.

[Campion]

F86 is faster,, quad 50's.... game over.

Unless he sees the target, it won't matter.

[2aberro]

Unless he sees the target, it won't matter

agreed,,, but all of the air battles of WWII were fought by sight alone. It can be done again.

[ak267]

Six 50’s????

[UNGN]

Not at 3:30 AM in the fog.

WWII dogfights were done in daylight until radar equipped planes arrived. Their radar would never see this.

These drones are to ensure the enemy never sleeps, not daylight dogfights... which just don’t happen anymore.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

There is a thing called black budgets.

[wku man]

"Game changer."

Especially after SkyNet becomes self-aware.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!