Boeings Pilotless Fighter ushers in robot wars era.
Posted by Mike Kremer on May 26, 2002 at 12:56
(62.188.48.74)EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., May 23, 2002 – The Boeing [NYSE: BA] X-45A a Pilotless Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, or UCAV. A technology demonstration of the jet, on May 22 made aerospace history by completing its first flight.
The X-45A flew for 14 minutes at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, reaching an airspeed of 195 knots and altitude of 7,500 feet, after taking off and landing again from a dry lake bed in S California. Flight characteristics and basic aspects of aircraft operations, particularly the command and control link between the aircraft and the mission-control station, were successfully demonstrated.In the next decade military strategists envisage using dozens of unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV's) at a time, flying in fast and low, each carrying several small compact highly explosive bombs, capable of destroying enemy air defenses, airfields radar, missile sites and factorys.
They may eventually be able to sense chemical or biological poisons.
The British and US governments have already held talks on opportunities for UCAV's in the UK. Who are
working on an unmanned robot submarine.
Follow Ups:
- Re: Boeings Pilotless Fighter ushers in robot wars era. Dogrock 26/5 20:34 (1)
- robot wars era. Amaranth Rose 26/5 23:56 (0)