Robot Plane Drops Bomb in Successful California Test, Boeing Says

[Snazzy]

Robot Plane Drops Bomb in Successful California Test, Boeing Says
The Associated Press
Published: Apr 18, 2004

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A robotic plane deliberately dropped a bomb near a truck at Edwards Air Force Base on Sunday, marking another step forward for technology the U.S. military hopes will one day replace human pilots on dangerous combat missions.
Under human supervision but without human piloting, a prototype of the Boeing Co.'s X-45 took off from the desert base, opened its bomb bay doors, dropped a 250-pound Small Smart Bomb and then landed.

The inert bomb struck within inches of the truck it was supposed to hit, Boeing said, adding that had the bomb contained explosives, the target would have been destroyed.

...

Boeing hopes to build hundreds of the X-45 planes, which would cost $10 million to $15 million each.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA1BETR7TD.html

[keithyboy]

1. The world's most dangerous leader with the world's most dangerous

weapons. Will the world stand up to us?

[alittlelark]

2. Isn't this kinda like what happened in Terminator movies?

DynCor created robotic defenses, and they eventually 'get smart'

Now we don't even have to risk 1 American life to blow up 10's, 100's 1,000's or 10s of thousands of human beings with our bombs.

[dusty64]

17. Thats kinda what I

thought, I don't like this at all.

[TexasMexican]

3. Neat.

[nonbelief]

4. The predator Drone

Another pilotless vehicle,the Predator drone, has been used to kill "suspects" in the "War on Terror" in both Yemen and Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan a hellfire missile fired from the remote-controlled CIA drone murdered three scrap-metal collectors. The U.S claimed they were fired on when they raised weapons at the drone. Since the drone was unmanned, there can be no claim of 'self-defence' on the part of the tele-operator who fired that missile, or the superiors who authorized the firing.

Pure simple murder, committed on behalf of every American citizen.

[Mika]

5. Speak for yourself

"Pure simple murder, committed on behalf of every American citizen."


Sorry. Not on my behalf! Not for one friggin second!

[Zhade]

16. If you pay taxes, it's done on your behalf.

Sorry. That's the reality we face.

What was that I heard about "no taxation without representation...?"

[RebelOne]

6. Just found out today that my cousin is the chief engineer

for the Predator system. He's a retired Air Force LT. Col.

[boobooday]

7. The bravery of being out of range

And I've heard our military call the Iraqis cowards over and over again!

I used to live at Edwards -- for two of the longest years of my life.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[rooboy]

8. The counter tactic to this is terrorism. Nice going, Boeing... n/t

[JohnyCanuck]

9. Rise of the Machines

Rise of the Machines

<snip>

According to US Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA), chair of the House Subcommittee on Procurements, one-third of US tactical-strike aircraft will be unmanned within the next 10 years.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing, along with Carnegie Mellon University , are developing ground combat vehicles: the Gladiator, the Retiarius, and the Spinner.

The military’s interest is in part a function of the Vietnam Syndrome: lots of aluminum caskets and weeping survivors play poorly on the six o’clock news. While so far the Bush administration has managed to keep these images at arm’s length by simply banning the media from filming C-130s disgorging the wounded and the slain, as casualty lists grows longer, that will get harder to do.

The lure of being able to fight a war without getting your own people killed is a seductive one. “It is possible that in our lifetime we will be able to run a conflict without ever leaving the United States,” Lt. Col. David Branham told the New York Times last year.<snip>


http://www.antiwar.com/article.php?articleid=2299

[daleo]

13. Department of Defense to be renamed Department of Offense

The lure of being able to fight a war without getting your own people killed is a seductive one. “It is possible that in our lifetime we will be able to run a conflict without ever leaving the United States,” Lt. Col. David Branham told the New York Times last year.

If the conflict is somewhere else, and you don't even send soldiers, how can it possibly be a just war? Not that these guys care, but some people still do.

By the way, the PNAC document is just packed with references to these unmanned bombers. They are nearly orgasmic at the idea.

[mulethree]

15. FCS

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/fcs.htm

[Dover]

10. Which means the planes that flew into the towers didn't HAVE to be

manned by trained pilots.

That would certainly fit into the MIHOP scenario.

[Snazzy]

11. AP Photo

A Boeing Joint Unmanned Combat Air System X-45 aircraft releases an inert global positioning system-guided bomb Sunday, April 18, 2004, at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division range in China Lake, Calif. It marked another step forward for technology the Pentagon hopes will one day replace human pilots on dangerous combat missions. (AP Photo/NASA (news - web sites), Jim Ross)

[nolabels]

14. To quote a sage maintenance mechanic / machinist.

"Don't worry about it unless it can get over your head"
War while working with video game, how original. Maybe * has got an X-box he goes on line with :crazy:

http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/faq.htm
(snip)
1. What is the DARPA Grand Challenge?

A1. The DARPA Grand Challenge is an event of autonomous ground vehicles between Los Angeles and Las Vegas that will be held on March 13, 2004. The team that fields a vehicle that finishes the designated route most quickly within a 10 hour time limit will be granted a cash award of $1 million.

Q2. What is the purpose of the Challenge?

A2. Congress and the Department of Defense view unmanned vehicle technology as a critical element of our future military capabilities. The Grand Challenge is a bold effort to draw widespread attention to the technological issues associated with autonomous vehicles and to generate discontinuous breakthroughs in performance. The format and requirements of the event are specifically designed to target the companies and entrepreneurs that define grassroots American ingenuity so that innovative new approaches can be found.

Q3. Who may enter the Challenge?

A3. The Challenge is open to any non-government U.S. person or entity. U.S. Federal employees, funds, and assets are excluded. Foreign persons or entities may participate in the Challenge as part of a U.S. led team. (Please see Section 3 of the rules for more information about Challenge eligibility)
(snip)

[daleo]

12. So, if this hits innocent civilians, is anyone to blame?

It seems like these programs are to make killing more and more remote, and thus less and less abhorrent, at least for those who possess these weapons. It is interesting how the killing of the four "contractors" brought back the shock of death and war, while these long range devices seem to lull to sleep our natural revulsion to killing.

[leesa]

18. Good. Now we can pretend even better that war is squeaky clean and

painless. Disgusting.