Let's Build Some More (Expensive) Helicopters

[unhappycamper]

unhappycamper note: Since the ‘Pentagon’ (Righthaven LLC? Gannett?) has ‘requested’ that I only post one paragraph from articles on Army Times, and Airforce Times, To keep in that same (new) tradition, I will also do the same for for articles on Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, stripes.com and military.com.
To read the article in the military's own words, you will need to click the link.

Read all about Fair Use here. It sure is beginning to smell like fascism.

unhappycamper summary of this article: In other news, Pilotless helos to replace supply trucks in Afghanistan -->

http://www.stripes.com/polopoly_fs/1.122470.1287598151!/image/1815680710.JPG_gen/derivatives/landscape_240/1815680710.JPG

The Kaman/Lockheed Martin K-MAX unmanned helicopter. The U.S. military is experimenting with unmanned helos to resupply outposts in order to reduce the risk of roadside bombs to supply trucks.

Think about it. The roads in Afghanistan are too difficult to resupply so we are going to build unmanned helicopters? Do you see anything wrong with this picture?




DoD plans 4 new joint helicopters
Staff writer - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 30, 2010 10:35:58 EDT

That future includes combat scenarios that will “challenge the capabilities of the current vertical lift fleet,” the report says. The answer: develop the “breakthrough technology and new aircraft starts required to achieve next generation vertical lift capabilities.”

[Historic NY]

1. Why are we there again?

[leeroysphitz]

2. An extravagant solution to unnecessary problem. n/t

[Sal Minella]

3. From what I've read about the Osprey, "future combat scenarios"

are not required for challenging our vertical lift fleet. We seem to have problems enough getting the Osprey to stay airborne longer than twelve seconds without killing everybody aboard.

The MIC is to be congratulated on its chutzpah in attempting to convince taxpayers that replacing (relatively inexpensive) trucks with (no doubt horrendously expensive) unmanned helicopters is a good idea. This will be very expensive target practice for the denizens of whatever country we're trying to colonize.

“An entire mission can be done autonomously with nobody controlling the aircraft other than the person who programmed the mission before hand,”

. . . and nothing can go wrong can go wrong can go wrong . . .

Like, dropping a full load on a bunch of unsuspecting U.S. troops, or anything like that.

gah.