Gotta See This - Supersecret Bird of Prey [with video]

Popular Science, Boeing ^ | 10/18/02

[AndrewC]

There is another post on this subject and it said Boeing paid for the development.

Yes, that is very true, but it is not free. They are in the business for the money.

[KSCITYBOY]

I would guess that whole secrecy thing is shot now.

[WaterDragon]

Wow! Sexy airplane!

[MarineDad]

Stand by, al-Qaeda and your supporters, we'll be along to deal with you shortly.

Anything that helps murderous ragheads to go meet Allah (at the bottommost level of Hell) is a BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL thing! This baby qualifies. Wonder how many Hellfire missiles it can carry...(here's one for Abdul, one for Mohammed, one for Akhmed, etc.)

[Reaganesque]

Makes me wonder what they haven't told us about.

[VOA]

Isn't it good to know that after we pay all the freeloaders and bureaucrats
that there's still eonough tax money left to build something that can actually
protect us from all the crazies in the world?

I hope there is enough money left for muzzles for the likes of Jimmy Carter and
Bill Clinton, so they won't be globe-trotting and negotiating any more
"nuclear reduction" treaties.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

As they say on RoboCop: "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

[CJinVA]

Boeing's X-45 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is the first of its type -- a fighter plane without a pilot. Military experts say UCAVs will play a key role in future warfare, because they are smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more agile than piloted aircraft. Unmanned combat planes are envisioned as a "first day of the war" strike force capable of attacking enemy air defenses without risking pilots' lives. Boeing's UCAV, sponsored by DARPA and the Air Force, underwent ground tests this year and may have begun flight tests by the time you read this.

[cavtrooper21]

Santa, Can I have one of those preety planes for Christmas ???

[Samwise]

Makes me wonder what they haven't told us about.

I just hope they didn't tell Clinton and his cronies.

[FlyVet]

Wild-looking airplane. My guess is, taking a step toward a very high-performance unmanned combat aircraft. I'm still waiting for the public unveiling of the Aurora. It was at least 10 years ago that either Popular Science or Popular Mechanics did an article on that.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[Bird of Prey]

Nice. Looks like the folks ad Boeing and area 51 have been busy lately. Can it be ordered with optional disruptors or photon torpedoes?

[farmfriend]

Looks more like the bat plane than a Klingon ship.

[MJY1288]

"Isn't it good to know that after we pay all the freeloaders and bureaucrats that there's still eonough tax money left to build something that can actually protect us from all the crazies in the world"

ROFLMAO, My vote for quote of the day

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Unmanned combat planes are envisioned as a "first day of the war" strike force capable of attacking enemy air defenses without risking pilots' lives. Boeing's UCAV, sponsored by DARPA and the Air Force, underwent ground tests this year and may have begun flight tests by the time you read this. <P Ready for "Proving Ground Bahgdad"?

[Quix]

POP SCI POLL
POLL
PLEASE
CONSIDER
SAYING
YOU ARE
OPPOSED
TO THE
NATIONAL
ID CARD
ON THE
POP SCI
POLL ON
THE SAME PAGE
AS THE BIRD OF PREY.

Much appreciated.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

My bet is that the canopy shown here is just for press photos and that the real canopy is faceted with planes parallel to those on rest of the aircraft.

[kayak]

Hey, thanks for noticing that and pointing it out. Right now only 50% oppose this ..... the rest say Yes or are indifferent.

[Michael Barnes]

No doubt on Aurora. Alot of interesting info has come out about that bird. How true it is, is anyone's guess. You can count on one thing though, when Aurora is revealed, you can bet your bottom dollar that we have something already working that can kick the Aurora's ass...

[Ispy4u]

If it really is a UCAV why would it need a canopy?