rvandusen  | 07 Apr 2014 5:25 a.m. PST |
link Maybe I'll live to see A.I. gunships like those shown in Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd Gig. |
| doc mcb | 07 Apr 2014 5:32 a.m. PST |
Isn't that what the Germans did with the V1? |
 20thmaine | 07 Apr 2014 5:39 a.m. PST |
About 10 years ago "Flight" was full of articles on a proposed drone conversion for the F16. Still makes a lot of sense. |
| wminsing | 07 Apr 2014 5:46 a.m. PST |
Not even a new idea; lots of early cruise missile experiments were jet fighters operating under radio control. -Will |
| rvandusen | 07 Apr 2014 6:26 a.m. PST |
It's true that the idea is not new, remember the dropships in Aliens? The marines were able to call them down using a remote link. In the case of radio control drones, I suppose even Gigantor was a remote controlled bot, and the original manga is almost 60 years old. |
 Jlundberg | 07 Apr 2014 6:39 a.m. PST |
I know they were being used as targets fro fighters in the 80's |
| GeoffQRF | 07 Apr 2014 7:07 a.m. PST |
QF-4 (F-4 Phantom drone):
QF-106 (F-106 Delta Dart drone):
But I think the intention is for these to have some degree of autonomy, not just be manually flown: "The main goal of developing autonomous helicopters for resupplying troops is to reduce the need to use ground convoys to deliver food, water, and weapons, as they present attractive targets for enemy fighters." |
| Mako11 | 07 Apr 2014 9:06 a.m. PST |
That F-106 is way too nice looking to be used as a drone. Personal jet perhaps. "Not even a new idea; lots of early cruise missile experiments were jet fighters operating under radio control". If I recall correctly, they were doing this back in WWII, with B-17s. Filled with explosives, they packed quite a punch. Not sure if they had others before that, other than as mentioned, the V-1, and/or air-dropped missiles/bombs. |
| Ron W DuBray | 07 Apr 2014 1:21 p.m. PST |
lets see an F16 can do a 15 G turn till it runs out of fuel, but no pilot can. it only makes all the since in the world to remote pilot the thing. |
| Altius | 07 Apr 2014 1:42 p.m. PST |
Didn't Hezbollah use this method successfully to attack the Israeli navy a while back? Worked pretty well, if I recall. |
| Mako11 | 07 Apr 2014 5:19 p.m. PST |
I thought that was an anti-ship missile, fired from the shore, which someone labeled a drone. Of course, we're splitting hairs between names on that issue, I suppose. |
| Sergeant Paper | 07 Apr 2014 9:04 p.m. PST |
The US Navy also used to use QF-86s until they used them up. |
| Etranger | 08 Apr 2014 3:59 a.m. PST |
It's an old idea – the British were using the Queen drone in the 1930s & the RN had the great grandfather of the cruise missle in use in 1927. link (and a fascinating bit of trivia contained in that link…) Autonomy would be the new bit for a drone. Skynet used plenty of them….. |
| Altius | 08 Apr 2014 6:00 a.m. PST |
I thought that was an anti-ship missile, fired from the shore, which someone labeled a drone. Of course, we're splitting hairs between names on that issue, I suppose. It was reported as a civilian plane packed with explosives. I can't find the original Haaretz article right now, but I found this: link They've been using smaller UAVs since the, some of which the Israelis have shot down. They're saying they can get they can carry 40-50 kg of explosives, but I don't know how well that's been tested out. |
| Aleator | 08 Apr 2014 3:40 p.m. PST |
It was Hezbollah. Who says it was unmanned? |
| Lion in the Stars | 09 Apr 2014 1:41 p.m. PST |
I know they were being used as targets fro fighters in the 80's Try 1940's! But they weren't autonomous I would still like to know how well these autonomous drones will dogfight! |
is back from Council of Five Nations.
