Terminator Mice.
Posted on 04/13/2011 8:59:27 AM PDT by mandaladon
To fly the military's baddest, most technologically advanced planes, you once had to have what Tom Wolfe called "that righteous stuff" -- the willingness to strap yourself to a jet-fuel laden machine and push it to the very limits of its mechanical capabilities. Nowadays, unmanned systems have taken the human danger out of some combat missions, though human pilots remain at the sticks.
But not for long.
The Navy's experimental X-47B combat system won't be remotely piloted, but almost completely autonomous. Human involvement won't be of the stick-and-rudder variety, but handled with simple mouse clicks.
Speaking to reporters at the Sea Air Space convention near Washington, reps from both Northrop Grumman (maker of the X-47B) and the Navy said the X-47B would be piloted not by human handlers in some steel box in Nevada, but by 3.4 million lines of software code. The rest of its functions will be able to be handled by non-pilot personnel (or your average child), as they will only require clicks of the mouse; a click to turn on the engines, a click to taxi, a click to initiate takeoff, etc.
For flyboys proudly boasting their nighttime carrier landing cred, the idea is anathema. But given the difficulty and danger of carrier takeoffs and landings, automating them is one way to ensure safety--provided the systems work the way they are supposed to. The X-47B has already taken to the skies from Edwards AFB earlier this year, but this is a Navy plane. As such, it will begin "learning" the ins and outs of carrier operations via simulated takeoffs and landings starting in 2013.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What could possibly go wrong?
Having a plane that is not limited by the pilot’s ability to withstand G-Forces in turns takes the fun out of fighting against such an aircraft as well.
Terminator Mice.
/s
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
Heads up bump!!
Depending on the type of plane..fighter, bomber, I’ve read that as much as 25-30% of the plane is devoted to the pilot/crew..space, protection, life support systems...eliminate this, and you can substantially increase payload/distance..and of course, the danger tot he crew..
If it can land on a carrier, in a storm, at night...have they worked out a plan for mid-air refueling?
How long before some script kiddie hacks it, I wonder?
So now the Navy will have to relegate pilots to video game junkies, the X-47B will by controlled via the Sony PS3 game controller from mom’s basement.
Kind of an eerie similarity to Ender’s Game.
Why would it need to?
You prefer it lands in the ocean?
Dave, my mind is going...
All I have to say is “Manny, Moe, and Jack”
Not to be confused with an XB-47.
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Caught in a loop there, al?
What could possibly go wrong? Somebody forgot a conversion factor?
The DNC has already registered each aircraft as a DemocRAT voter with the power of attorney to vote for it while it is deployed...which is any time the polls are open.
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