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Onboard pilot optional with Northrop's Firebird spy plane
LA Times ^
| May 9, 2011
| W.J. Hennigan
Posted on 05/09/2011 10:57:25 AM PDT by jazusamo
Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp. has quietly developed a new spy plane that can listen in on phone conversations, use high-powered radar and shoot live video footage as it flies at 30,000 feet above the Earth.
And the spy plane, expected to be unveiled Monday, would operate with or without a pilot sitting in the cockpit.
Until now, U.S. military aircraft have been designed to either have a pilot on board or be an unmanned drone. But Northrop's new plane, dubbed the Firebird, can switch from being a traditional aircraft to a drone with just a few modifications.
The Century City company is developing the propeller-powered Firebird at its own expense. It is betting that the hybrid plane will appeal to the Pentagon as defense budget cuts loom and the federal government deals with rising deficits.
"The government is always going to want options with its aircraft," said Tom Captain, aerospace analyst with Deloitte. "Unmanned aircraft is taking on increasingly difficult missions. However, in the fog of war, there are still situations where you need a pilot's instinct inside the cockpit."
If the military has a plane that can do both missions, it may save money on maintenance personnel and spare parts, Captain said. "It's the same engine. It's the same airframe. The only difference is how it's piloted."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; drone; firebird; northrop; spyplane
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1
posted on
05/09/2011 10:57:36 AM PDT
by
jazusamo
To: jazusamo
2
posted on
05/09/2011 10:59:31 AM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 838 of our national holiday from reality. - OBL Dead? The TSA can go away!)
To: jazusamo
are OBSOLETE!
(Actually, I like using technology to keep people out of harm's way when possible, but this HAD to be posted!)
3
posted on
05/09/2011 10:59:54 AM PDT
by
freedumb2003
(Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats. /P. J. O'Rourke, 1991)
To: jazusamo
Well it is cool looking, I'll give them that.
4
posted on
05/09/2011 11:00:23 AM PDT
by
GonzoGOP
(There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
To: null and void
5
posted on
05/09/2011 11:01:03 AM PDT
by
jazusamo
(His [Obama's] political base---the young, the left and the thoughtless: Thomas Sowell)
To: null and void
Purely as a statement of aviation aesthetics, it sure isn’t the SR-71, is it?
To: jazusamo
Just make sure the pilot support system is modular so it can be easily pulled out and replaced with extra fuel for unmanned missions. No reason to lug around the ejector seat and oxygen equipment when you don't have a pilot.
7
posted on
05/09/2011 11:02:53 AM PDT
by
KarlInOhio
(Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! Tea Party extremism is a badge of honor.)
Please bump the Freepathon or click above and donate or become a monthly donor!
8
posted on
05/09/2011 11:03:19 AM PDT
by
jazusamo
(His [Obama's] political base---the young, the left and the thoughtless: Thomas Sowell)
To: jazusamo
From aviationweek.com
Thus, Firebird is an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV); it was secretly built by Northrop Grummans Scaled Composites in 12 months.
I should have known that Burt Rutan would be involved in anything that looked that cool. He has done more for aviation aesthetics than anyone since Jack Northrop and Kelly Johnson.
9
posted on
05/09/2011 11:05:17 AM PDT
by
GonzoGOP
(There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
To: OldDeckHand
No, that it ain’t. Could be a distant cousin of an A-10 though.
(On the P-38 side of the family)...
10
posted on
05/09/2011 11:05:51 AM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 838 of our national holiday from reality. - OBL Dead? The TSA can go away!)
To: jazusamo
they should have one orbiting over special events (esp at remote facilities) to provide surge-capacity for cell-phone coverage.
I’m thinking Nascar, yachting regattas, natural disasters, or later maybe at peak commuting times in major metropolitan areas.
Providers could boast of their relationship with the aircraft operating company in order to project added value.
11
posted on
05/09/2011 11:07:37 AM PDT
by
gaijin
To: OldDeckHand
It would seem to have more in common with the
OV-10 "Bronco"
12
posted on
05/09/2011 11:08:42 AM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: jazusamo
It will give you the best of manned and unmanned air vehicles.
and, give you the worst of manned and unmanned air vehicles.
...all rolled into one! ;)
13
posted on
05/09/2011 11:11:03 AM PDT
by
Mr.Unique
(The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.)
To: gaijin
Doesn’t mention anything in the article about border patrol but it seems it could fit nicely there.
14
posted on
05/09/2011 11:11:48 AM PDT
by
jazusamo
(His [Obama's] political base---the young, the left and the thoughtless: Thomas Sowell)
To: ArrogantBustard; null and void
"It would seem to have more in common with the OV-10 "Bronco" " Yep, that's it. I knew it looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It does have a bit P-38 meets Warthog feel, but it looks like a Bronco first born - very similar.
To: OldDeckHand
16
posted on
05/09/2011 11:15:30 AM PDT
by
null and void
(We are now in day 838 of our national holiday from reality. - OBL Dead? The TSA can go away!)
To: null and void
Whatever happened to Aurora?
To: OldDeckHand
The O-2 Skymaster
The deHavilland Vampire
And White Knight
Also are in that family.
18
posted on
05/09/2011 11:20:52 AM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: OldDeckHand
This is the real progenitor for this bird.
19
posted on
05/09/2011 11:24:04 AM PDT
by
GonzoGOP
(There are millions of paranoid people in the world and they are all out to get me.)
To: jazusamo
Go Northrop! (I’m a Northrop Grumman employee.)
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