Free Republic

TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday inaugurated the country's first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft, calling it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies. The 4-meter-long drone aircraft can carry up to four cruise missiles and will have a range of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), according to a state TV report — not far enough to reach archenemy Israel. "The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship," said Ahmadinejad at the inauguration ceremony, which fell on the country's national day for its...

Named after the Celtic god of thunder, this £142.5million prototype was unveiled by the Ministry of Defence. It is the size of a light aircraft, has stealth technology that makes it virt­ually undetectable and has been hailed the pinnacle of British engineering. The craft, which will undergo flight trials next year, has an array of sensors to carry out int­elligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. However, it also has the ability to carry bombs and missiles, giving it a pot­ential long-range strike capability. And it can be controlled from anywhere in the world, via satellite communication. ‘Taranis is a truly trailblazing...

PALMDALE - Northrop Grumman Corp. will build three unmanned X-47B aircraft and their associated systems under a $1 billion contract awarded Wednesday. The contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is part of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems demonstration program, intended to produce the technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles capable of delivering munitions. The three vehicles will be assembled at Northrop's facility at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale. Company officials, however, do not foresee a large increase in employment at the site due to this contract, said Jim Hart, Northrop spokesman. The X-47B is expected to begin...