British stealth drone to undergo first test flight

[syd syside]

 

 

It can fly faster than the speed of sound, cannot be detected by radar
and has no pilot. This is the new robotic plane that will become the
next generation of front line bombers for the British military.

The drone, which is named Taranis after the Celtic god of thunder, has
been designed to fly intercontinental missions to attack targets and can
automatically dodge incoming missiles.

The aircraft, which has cost £125 million to build, is intended to be
the first of a new generation of aeroplanes that will reduce the need to
risk human lives on long, dangerous missions.

It is to be flown for the first time in a series of tests over the
Australian outback in the spring in an attempt to demonstrate the
technology to military chiefs.

Currently the Royal Air Force uses Tornado GR4 bombers as its front line
strike aircraft, although the Typhoon Eurofighter is expected to
replace it in the coming years.

Remote controlled drones such as Reaper are also used by the Ministry of Defence and US military to attack targets.

But the Taranis is expected to provide a prototype of a new kind of
bomber that will replace piloted planes and the current drones.

With a shape more similar to the US B-2 Stealth bomber, it intended to
fly automatically using an on-board computer system to perform
manoeuvres, avoid threats and identify targets. Only when it needs to
attack a target will it seek authorisation from a human controller.

Nigel Whitehead, group managing director of programmes at BAE Systems,
which has been developing Taranis, said the new drone could change the
way aircraft are used by the MoD in the future, which currently uses
manned planes for combat missions.

He said: “I think that the Taranis programme will be used to inform the
UK MoD thinking, regarding the make up for the future force mix. I
anticipate that the UK will chose to have a mix of manned and unmanned
front-line aircraft.

“This decision will have a major impact on the future of the UK military.”

The Taranis uses stealth technology, including a highly secretive
coating that helps it slip through radar undetected. It will be able to
carry a series of weapons on board including missiles and laser guided
bombs.

The use of drones, however, has come under intense criticism from human
rights groups, who claim their use as weapons contravenes international
laws as often innocent targets can be killed.

The Reaper and Predator drones currently used by the British and US
military are operated by remote control using pilots based at a command
centre.

Although they fly relatively slowly, with a maximum speed of 287 miles
per hour, less than half the speed of sound, their ability to perform
“hunter-killer” missions or support ground troops in Afghanistan without
risking human pilots has seen them increasingly used.

Unmanned aircraft are now being seen as a way of producing planes that
can fly further, faster and higher than is currently possible with human
pilots, who can grow tired or blackout in manoeuvres that produce high
g-forces.

There are concerns, however, that as drones are made more autonomous,
they will pose more of a risk if they go out of control and leaving
computers to make life or death decisions is highly controversial.

Taranis, however, will still rely on instructions from a central command centre before attacking targets.

The tests on Taranis, which is powered by a Rolls-Royce Adour 951
engine used on Hawk training jets, will see it flying a simulated
mission where it must automatically avoid unexpected threats such as
ground to air missiles and seek out potential targets.

Once identified, the operators will send instructions to Taranis to
attack the targets before performing a flying past to confirm the damage
and then landing safely.

Mr Whitehead added: “There is one demonstrator aircraft. The mission
plan will be loaded onto the vehicle. The aircraft will then fly the
mission. Taranis will fly to the search area and sweep the area to
identify targets.

“The air vehicle will be presented with unexpected “pop up” threats and its evasive response will be monitored.

“Target information will be relayed to mission command and the aircraft
will hold off until given the next instruction to prosecute, send more
data or ignore the identified target.

“In the event of a command to attack, this will be carried out followed
by a battle damage inspection and then further interaction with command
to confirm the instruction to attack again, prosecute other targets or
to come home, avoiding further pop-up threats.”

A spokesman for the MoD added: “Taranis is the first of its kind in the
UK. Unmanned Air Vehicles play an important role on operations, helping
to reduce the risks faced by military personnel on the front line.

“Forthcoming Taranis flight trials will provide MoD and industry with
further information about the potential capabilities of Unmanned Combat
Air Systems.”

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9797738/British-stealth-drone-to-undergo-first-test-flight.html

 

 

 

Bryant was one of them, and he remembers one incident very clearly when a
Predator drone was circling in a figure-eight pattern in the sky above
Afghanistan, more than 10,000 kilometers (6,250 miles) away. There was a
flat-roofed house made of mud, with a shed used to hold goats in the
crosshairs, as Bryant recalls. When he received the order to fire, he
pressed a button with his left hand and marked the roof with a laser.
The pilot sitting next to him pressed the trigger on a joystick, causing
the drone to launch a Hellfire missile. There were 16 seconds left
until impact.

"These moments are like in slow motion," he says today. Images taken
with an infrared camera attached to the drone appeared on his monitor,
transmitted by satellite, with a two-to-five-second time delay.

With seven seconds left to go, there was no one to be seen on the
ground. Bryant could still have diverted the missile at that point. Then
it was down to three seconds. Bryant felt as if he had to count each
individual pixel on the monitor. Suddenly a child walked around the
corner, he says.

Second zero was the moment in which Bryant's digital world collided with
the real one in a village between Baghlan and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Bryant saw a flash on the screen: the explosion. Parts of the building
collapsed. The child had disappeared. Bryant had a sick feeling in his
stomach.

"Did we just kill a kid?" he asked the man sitting next to him.

 

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/pain-continues-after-war-for-american-drone-pilot-a-872726.html

 

[Guest disparaissant]

fucking cylons

 

frakking toasters

[YO303]

At first i thought that was an army of garden gnomes.

[ambermonk]

 

 

 

[Guest happycase]

Wow, it's beautiful. But I don't like the purpose it was built for.

[ambermonk]

Wow, it's beautiful. But I don't like the purpose it was built for.

 

I don't either, but I'm not really in a position to criticize. Though I'm not personally responsible for child-killing drones, somebody in our gub'ment is.

[Macca]

[goDel]

I'm sure you would score critical hits if you hit that red triangle. What's the amount of health points this thing got, btw? I'm deciding wether I'd use my sniper rifle or my rocket launcher.

[elusive4]

let's see some xband polars

[mcbpete]

[Amen Warrior]

Mind boggling waste of cash, considering the MoD cut 5000 jobs last week to address their deficit.

Will it be able to take off from and land on our new aircraft carriers?....I'd wager not.

Makes me sick thinking of the amount of money successive governments have let the MoD piss away on disastrously managed willy-waving tech projects.

[elusive4]

"Will it be able to take off from and land on our new aircraft carriers?"

 

"has
been designed to fly intercontinental missions to attack targets"

[elusive4]

"waste of cash,", "Will it be able to take off from and land on our new aircraft carriers?"

 

you think the strengthening of the structural components (for carrier launch/landing), and addressing LO skin fabrication to be less corrosive in a sea-going environment is going to come cheap? have your carriers been designed from conception for the handling and logistics to support this new platform? has your country's doctrine or CONOPS been updated to reflect the sea-going use of this platform?

[Guest Lucy Faringold]

"waste of cash,", "Will it be able to take off from and land on our new aircraft carriers?"

 

you think the strengthening of the structural components (for carrier launch/landing), and addressing LO skin fabrication to be less corrosive in a sea-going environment is going to come cheap? have your carriers been designed from conception for the handling and logistics to support this new platform? has your country's doctrine or CONOPS been updated to reflect the sea-going use of this platform?

 

[BCM]

lol

[sergeantk]

the picture of the drone reminds me of Ufabulum

[Guest boo]

i've worked at BAE systems. scary place.

[ambermonk]

Mind boggling waste of cash, considering the MoD cut 5000 jobs last week to address their deficit.

Will it be able to take off from and land on our new aircraft carriers?....I'd wager not.

Makes me sick thinking of the amount of money successive governments have let the MoD piss away on disastrously managed willy-waving tech projects.

 

Seems like our DoD is following a similar trend.

 

The F-22 Raptor fighter jets for example each have a $150M price tag (over 95M quid) on them but have never seen use in combat. Seems like the equivalent of spending loads on protein shakes for body building and flexing one's muscles, but in the end is basically an expensive show of strength.

[Hoodie]

yet another way to depersonalize the people we're killing. disgusting.

[YO303]

I wonder if these drones will attack random middle easter cities or specific targets where the enemy lives (like a cave)

 

I don't know anything about warfare but every time i read of a drone attack in a populated city i wonder if it was necessary to attack that city. Are the "enemy" hiding amongst a populated area of innocent people, if so aren't better alternatives to kill the "enemy" (like a 10 man team or something to kill specific individuals)

 

Again i'm ignorant and don't know anything about warfare but how necessary/productive are random city bombings, is the death of innocent people worth the destruction of whatever terrorist they wanted to kill? i mean its not like "we" are fighting a national army, its just a bunch of guys.

 

Are they even trying to justify or nobody gives a shit?

[eugene]

 

 

I wonder if these drones will attack random middle easter cities or specific targets where the enemy lives (like a cave)

if so aren't better alternatives to kill the "enemy" (like a 10 man team or something to kill specific individuals)

how is it better from nationalist pov ? "to endanger our boys" versus "to risk a few civies from some shitfuckstan" ..

[YO303]

Its sad that it has come the a point where we have to decide who live's should be more at risk.

 

Your post killed/answered my question really.

 

 

I'll get back to my hippie farm.

[Guest boo]

I wonder if these drones will attack random middle easter cities or specific targets where the enemy lives (like a cave)

 

I don't know anything about warfare but every time i read of a drone attack in a populated city i wonder if it was necessary to attack that city. Are the "enemy" hiding amongst a populated area of innocent people, if so aren't better alternatives to kill the "enemy" (like a 10 man team or something to kill specific individuals)

 

Again i'm ignorant and don't know anything about warfare but how necessary/productive are random city bombings, is the death of innocent people worth the destruction of whatever terrorist they wanted to kill? i mean its not like "we" are fighting a national army, its just a bunch of guys.

 

Are they even trying to justify or nobody gives a shit?

bad people who care only about money and power.. edit yeah you can get away with more if white people aren't dying too

 

hmm are you going to give me shit for saying "bad" people?

 

also, have you ever seen The Cube? there's a bit of that going on too. people who are killed by drones are basically in the cube. (hmm that's total bollocks) but mostly just people who want to make money, and a few people who have long term plans for the human race (and also want money).

[elusive4]

 

Mind boggling waste of cash, considering the MoD cut 5000 jobs last week to address their deficit.

Will it be able to take off from and land on our new aircraft carriers?....I'd wager not.

Makes me sick thinking of the amount of money successive governments have let the MoD piss away on disastrously managed willy-waving tech projects.

 

Seems like our DoD is following a similar trend.

 

The F-22 Raptor fighter jets for example each have a $150M price tag (over 95M quid) on them but have never seen use in combat. Seems like the equivalent of spending loads on protein shakes for body building and flexing one's muscles, but in the end is basically an expensive show of strength.

 

 

how many years was it that the f-15 was operational before USAF used it in operational combat?

 

and aircraft procurement is a highly complex arena; i would not dumb it down to "price tags".

[YO303]

 

I wonder if these drones will attack random middle easter cities or specific targets where the enemy lives (like a cave)

 

I don't know anything about warfare but every time i read of a drone attack in a populated city i wonder if it was necessary to attack that city. Are the "enemy" hiding amongst a populated area of innocent people, if so aren't better alternatives to kill the "enemy" (like a 10 man team or something to kill specific individuals)

 

Again i'm ignorant and don't know anything about warfare but how necessary/productive are random city bombings, is the death of innocent people worth the destruction of whatever terrorist they wanted to kill? i mean its not like "we" are fighting a national army, its just a bunch of guys.

 

Are they even trying to justify or nobody gives a shit?

bad people who care only about money and power.. edit yeah you can get away with more if white people aren't dying too

 

hmm are you going to give me shit for saying "bad" people?

 

Its funny because white rich people who sopport the war would just look at my post and call me a naive hippie cunt.

 

I think the discussion is worth having but i often forgot those who make the decisions are either psychopaths or brainwashed people who are well-meaning but they fail to see the humanitarian side of things because the years of nationalist propaganda has dehumanized the other side.

 

or maybe they are right, im just being a naive hippie cunt.