US navy unveils unmanned jet

china

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Jul 30, 2006
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US navy unveils unmanned jet (Agencies)
Updated: 2011-02-08 13:42



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An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator completes its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in this US Navy handout photo dated Feb 4, 2011. The demonstration program will establish the capability of an autonomous, low-observable unmanned aircraft to perform aircraft carrier launches and recoveries.[Photo/Agencies]
An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator completes its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in this US Navy handout photo dated Feb 4, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]
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Praxius

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Dec 18, 2007
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Right , their ( pilots ) wages are too high .

And loading their pilots up on stims isn't working out so well these days..... not to mention that wonderful US education system, their pickings for anybody qualified to fly a multi-million dollar aircraft are getting slimmer and slimmer.

So just teach the kids how to play video games and then when they're ready, put a controller in their hands and let them blow real people up.

Wasn't there a Robin Williams movie that touched on this a bit?

Oh yes, it was called "Toys" back in 1992..... who would have thunk it back then.
 
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Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
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Voters don't get upset about loses of equipment during war time. It's the body bags that topples administrations and kills funding when the public lose the taste for war. Blow a thousand of these out of the sky and they will send a thousand more. Not one tear will roll down an American face because they have to replace some hardware. Not to mention when a village gets slaughtered that maybe shouldn't have, it's a glitch, a bad bit of code to blame. You can't expect your computer to run perfectly all the time can you? After all, look at all the parts that come from China.
 

earth_as_one

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Jan 5, 2006
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Expensive combat aircraft can be taken out by inexpensive surface to air missiles. Humans are the weak link in the combat systems. They require time to train, limit maneuverability, and casualties are politically costly.

Hopefully, killing innocent people will always remain unpopular.
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
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Expensive combat aircraft can be taken out by inexpensive surface to air missiles. Humans are the weak link in the combat systems. They require time to train, limit maneuverability, and casualties are politically costly.

Hopefully, killing innocent people will always remain unpopular.

SAMs can be taken out by stealthy Apache helicopters flying below radar, at night. The US doesn't own the airspace and the night for no reason.
 

earth_as_one

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SAMs can be taken out by stealthy Apache helicopters flying below radar, at night. The US doesn't own the airspace and the night for no reason.

That could change:
Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) are the smallest of SAMs and are capable of being carried and launched by a single person and thus suitable for local air defence, such as against attack helicopters.
Surface-to-air missile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Afghanistan war logs: US covered up fatal Taliban missile strike on Chinook | World news | The Guardian

2002 Khankala Mi-26 crash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and

The Misagh 2 is an Iranian man-portable infrared guided surface to air missile. The Misagh 2 is the next version of the Misagh-1. Similar to its predecessor, the Misagh 2 is supposedly also based on Chinese technology [1]. Iran’s defense minister launched the domestic mass production of the Misagh 2, on 5 February 2006.
[edit] Specifications

* Effective range: 5000 m
* Maximum altitude: 3500 m
* Reaction time: 5 seconds
* Maximum velocity: nearly 2.9 mach
* Fire and Forget Infrared seeker
* Missile weight: 11.32 kg
* Warhead weight: 1.42 kg
* Storage life: 8 years


Eventually man portable missiles and small mobile SAM batteries will limit the effectiveness of low flying aircraft, while bigger SAMs limit the effectiveness of higher altitude combat aircraft.

The S-500 is a new generation surface-to-air missile system, designed for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles and for defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control, Airborne Warning and Control System, and jamming aircraft. It is not an upgraded version of the S-400[2]. With a planned range of 600 km (373 mi), the S-500 will be able to detect and simultaneously engage up to 10 ballistic supersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 km/s[3][4] and will have a flight ceiling of 40 km.
S-500 (missile) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
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That could change:
Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) are the smallest of SAMs and are capable of being carried and launched by a single person and thus suitable for local air defence, such as against attack helicopters.
Surface-to-air missile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AN/AAQ-24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM)
In Production, Deployed and Tailored to Any Platform


The AN/AAQ-24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system is the only DIRCM system in production today that will protect aircraft from today's infrared guided missiles.

Traditional IR countermeasures are not effective against the modern IR missiles that are growing in popularity among terrorist groups and in thirdworld countries. A Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) system is required to defeat the latest and future advanced IR threats, and has a lower life cycle cost compared to other IR countermeasure approaches.

DIRCM benefits

Simultaneously tracks and defeats threats in clutter environments
Fast, accurate threat detection and simultaneous jamming in all current IR threat Bands (I, II and IV)
Counters all fielded IR missile threats using a single generic jam waveform
All-weather, all-altitude operation
Complete end-to-end self-testing features reduce life-cycle maintenance
Compatible with existing support facilities.

AN/AAQ-24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM)


Oh they shot down a Chinook did they? Well 1 for them then.


Yes and do you expect these loses to force Nato to pack up and run or something? The Taliban are down to launching from the back of a truck in the middle of a residential neighbourhood and hiding a home made bomb in a pile of garbage on the street at night. When they aren't living in caves that is.

{quote]and

The Misagh 2 is an Iranian man-portable infrared guided surface to air missile. The Misagh 2 is the next version of the Misagh-1. Similar to its predecessor, the Misagh 2 is supposedly also based on Chinese technology [1]. Iran’s defense minister launched the domestic mass production of the Misagh 2, on 5 February 2006.
[edit] Specifications

* Effective range: 5000 m
* Maximum altitude: 3500 m
* Reaction time: 5 seconds
* Maximum velocity: nearly 2.9 mach
* Fire and Forget Infrared seeker
* Missile weight: 11.32 kg
* Warhead weight: 1.42 kg
* Storage life: 8 years


Eventually man portable missiles and small mobile SAM batteries will limit the effectiveness of low flying aircraft, while bigger SAMs limit the effectiveness of higher altitude combat aircraft.

The S-500 is a new generation surface-to-air missile system, designed for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles and for defense against Airborne Early Warning and Control, Airborne Warning and Control System, and jamming aircraft. It is not an upgraded version of the S-400[2]. With a planned range of 600 km (373 mi), the S-500 will be able to detect and simultaneously engage up to 10 ballistic supersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 km/s[3][4] and will have a flight ceiling of 40 km.
S-500 (missile) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/QUOTE]

All the more reason to kill everything and look for a little white flag that may eventually pop up.
Though I have to say that I should like Iran's chances as if anyone, they face Israeli military with American air support. So they are pretty much screwed. I expect any detection of a nuclear launch will result in a massive nuclear retaliation which pretty much solves the Iran question permanently.

But hey good luck with your SAMs.
 

earth_as_one

Time Out
Jan 5, 2006
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If I recall the Soviets were just as cocky regarding man portable SAMs in Afghanistan at one time.
 

BaalsTears

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Jan 25, 2011
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The X-47B is not new. It is intended to extend the range and payload of American airpower for a possible war with China over Taiwan. The Chinese have altered the balance of military power in the Western Pacific with their Anti-Access/Area Denial weapons like the Dong Feng-21 aircraft carrier killer ballistic missile. But the DF-21 only has a range of about 1,000 miles. The X-47B will allow American aircraft carriers to operate outside the range of Chinese ballistic missiles.

What is the point? There's a conventional arms race going on between China and America.
 

Starscream

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May 23, 2008
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I remember seeing that X-47B in action in the movie Skyline. It was part of the UAV counterattack against the massive alien starship that hovered over L.A. Cool battle scene, movie itself no so much.

Once the X-47 is done all of its testing and is in production/deployed I'd like to see what it can do compared to the Predator and Reaper drones.
 

Praxius

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Dec 18, 2007
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If the Taliban destroy America, we're all moving north and going on the dole.:)

You know those big fences the US is building to try and keep Mexicans and I guess us Canadians out of the US?

Those things work both ways..... and if a flood of Americans come running to Canada, guess where you're all going to end up living?

That's right, we reserved special places for you guys way up in the north arctic, next to those useless missile defence systems one of our idiot PM's bought from the US rather then investing in the Avro Arrow program.

Don't worry, the locals will teach you guys how to hunt seals and how to suck the juice out of their eyeballs properly. I hear it's just like ice cream.