Hope they get the electronics spot on, Can you imagine them "Loosing" it!

..am really sick of robot jokes ;o)

If they are making robot shooters, isn't it time they started making robot targets? I mean, it's only fair.

Welcome our new robotic stealth flying wing overloads. Sorry, overlords.

Does anybody else think this looks like it was designed at apple?

but we know it was us that scorched the skys etc etc

i'm only using that quote because I can't remember the "and then it became self aware " one from terminator.

Let's hope they don't lose it either.

I suddenly have images of that movie....oh dear.

That looks suspiciously like the Martian war machines from the Jeff Wayne's LP "War of the Worlds"

I hope the damn thing flies more level than it sits on the ground. There's not a single level line in the whole picture.

Yeah, I know I'm being picky, but it's a bloody press photo...

... for about 7-8 years now, that with today's technology, you can replace most pilots with software. I figure you can replace 50% of a Navy's Warfare Officers with software, too.

Alas, since Admirals serve no useful function, I have not yet figured out how to replace them.

It'll be like a live action version of the Carrier Command game.

Quick question - Why does it need that "cockpit" when its a robot? Surely it just needs a camera.

Unmanned? My hairy arse it is

For a properly prepared and combat ready Mig or Eurofighter.

Yeah, kinda beat me too it, I was all "autonomous armed stealth plane — seen that before...". Luckily I never got to see the movie but even from the trailers I could very well make out that this is something that pretty much has no other choice than to go very, very wrong. And different from C-movies with A-budgets you cannot simply employ some ludicrous plot device in order to clean up the mess.

"Quick question - Why does it need that "cockpit" when its a robot? Surely it just needs a camera."

Duh, so the robot can see out!

Just the windscreen makes you wonder... do they have a robot sitting in it flying it?? Is it a full-on plane capable of being flown by a fleshy but the clever bit is they made an android to fly it instead?

Maybe I am just welcoming our autonomous stealth killing overlords, but that is such a good picture I want it as my desktop. And may enforce it on all the marks I administer.

For human pilots, yes. However, the F/A-18's fully automated ILS hits the 3rd wire each time. It does it so well, that it is very seldom used as it provides the pilot with an unfair advantages (your traps are scored by your squadron mates as part of an internal squadron "competition").

And on a cat launch, the Hornet driver needs to grab (with both hands) the hand holds at the top front of the cockpit before being launched.. at that part is fully automated.

So I fail to see why UAV launches and traps would be a big deal when these are already successfully automated in the F/A-18.

The big deal instead is, "Can the UAV, without human intelligence onboard, operate as well?". What happens with lost radio comms? Jamming? Sudden changes (as there often are) in the combat environment that requires an immediate and fast tactical response? Know fact that computers can do specific things "better" than humans - like hitting the 3rd wire. Also a know fact that even the most advanced computers fail miserably at tasks that requires common sense.

I thought that was one big air inlet for the engine, not a window....

Do you not see the faint red blip there? It's a Cylon.

"computers can do specific things "better" than humans - like hitting the 3rd wire"

Indeed. Docking was easier in Elite with the docking computer, too. What are those pilots squealing about? Man up and get with the programme (and, indeed, the program), for goodness' sake! :-)

"Also a know fact that even the most advanced computers fail miserably at tasks that requires common sense."

So the implication is that most of our politicians have been replaced by computers? I should have known....

That's the air intake to the jet, not a window !

> won't be looking forward to telling their children that there's no longer any way to win one's glorious wings of gold and the respect of the nation

Not to mention it'll make it much more difficult to try to get Kelly McGillis' knickers off in the Ladies Room...

... Mine's the one with the off-key copy of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" in the pocket.

It's not the cockpit, it's the air intake.

>The big deal instead is, "Can the UAV, without human intelligence onboard, operate as well?". What happens with lost radio comms? Jamming? Sudden changes (as there often are) in the combat environment that requires an immediate and fast tactical response?

Exactly. The Human Brain is a 100 billion Neurons "computer" which has been trained for, well 1 million years ? 10 million years ? It operates under all possible radio modes (silence, local messaging, long-range comms, satcom) and can make the right decision "on the spot".

The most valuable computer inside an F-18 is in fact the wetware sitting in the cockpit. But nobody said you could not augment this "master" system with a ton of less-intelligent-than-ants processors.

Some theorists are thinking of a manned “Master” aircraft controlling a swarm of robots through low-power, low-bandwidth radio messages. Lasers could be used for local comms, too. These stealth aircraft are all intended to be used against sophisticated adversaries with lots of signals intelligence electronics at their disposal (countries like Russia and China). Operating in low (or zero) power radio modes may prove to be essential.

"Also a know fact that even the most advanced computers fail miserably at tasks that requires common sense."

It's also a known fact that even the most advanced humans fail miserably at tasks that require common sense too. Puny fleshlings.

has that flag been screwed up in a box all its life?

that is all.

I think this is the one your after....

"The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug."

Paris.... I dunno, something funny involving human decisions being removed or pulling the plug, I'll leave it up to you lot, it's been one of those days.

Nonsense. From what I hear, the future's not set and there's no fate but what we make for ourselves.

Or in other words, we're doomed.

>The Skynet Funding Bill is passed.

I thing that we have to realize some "Computer Scientists" in the "Artificial Intelligence" field are actually Used Car Salesmen who figured they could earn more by telling fairy tales and pocketing Government Money. I am talking about Marvin Minsky, for example.

Computers don't challenge a five-year old in any task they are not specifically programmed to do. Marvin Minsky is just a Moron extracting money from the government with his statements ("we will have an artificial brain by 2001" or something to this effect)

Just try to wire up 100 billion nonlinear elements (each dozens of transistors) AND then wire them up so that each element is wired to 10000 other elements. That's 1 TRILLION WIRES !

But first, figure the right wiring....

If you get that done, you probably need a 1000 MW power station and a football field to run your artificial brain. Maybe we can do that by 2050, maybe not.

Anyway, I can just get a guy, a pretty girl, wait 15 years and do everything at about 100W power consumption to reach the same objectives.

Paris, because she is able to produce 20 of those nice little 100W extremely-high-performance processors :-)

... Tin Man.

I wave my hand at the dumb lumps of lead that want to eat this waste of money, I thought that this stuff was because pilots is too expensive to let die. Actually, if they have been practising shooting wump-rats on Tatoonine, they are cheap.

And do you think that people will get patriotic over our robots vs their robots? No sir. Not unless the robots turn up in a wheelchair, shed a tear at the national anthem and suck ass when given a medal.

We are sending Pacman to war, not Wall-e.

Wasn't there a fleet of Star Destroyers that hyperjumped from system to system at random intervals so it wasn't able to be detected? Is this iPlane going to just circle the target, I mean, Earth waiting for it's next mission or refueling?

"For a properly prepared and combat ready Mig or Eurofighter." - Well, ignoring the issue that there ISN'T really a properly prepared Eurofighter, I doubt that's its intended function. The US has largely shifted its military policy from nukes and high-tech fighters to 'how many brown people with sticks can we kill today?'.

Wait, wait, wait, wait... are you telling me that I've got it wrong, and that I actually need to, for one, welcome our miniscule multisegemented hard carapaced six limbed hive mind Queen Ant overlord, she whom commands the winged autonomotons bearing lethal silicon death from yon clouded skies above?

Black Helos - who flys the watchants watching the other ants?

Here's a hint: YOU CAN'T SEE THE HANGAR REFLECTED IN AN AIR INTAKE. Duh!

Now, as to why they'd need the huge expanse of glass, I dunno. Maybe to fit an IMAX camera for the latest blockbuster (sic) hit?

So any bets on how long it will be before some peasant with a $25 AK shoots down one of these and sells the bits to China?

Thanks

This is a stealth aircraft, not a dog fighter. It's designed to carry out missions like any other UAV but is designed to be nearly invisible to radar. One would think that it's main mission would be to deliver ordnance to specific static targets. Although it has nearly an unlimited range, the hang time over a specific point is limited since the required fuel tankers are not stealthed. However, just getting in and out unseen with pictures of the enemy is a big plus for the war machine.

um... no. It IS an air intake. Perhaps one with a reflective plastic cover to keep out prying eyes and unwanted bits, but an intake nonetheless.

http://www.strategypage.com/military_photos/military_photos_20052151.aspx

BTW, will someone PLEASE send these id10ts copies of the Terminator movies before it's too...

Wait, who are you and how did you get in here? AUUUUUGGHH!

end.

Cylon.??? What are they doing with tea up there??? T

They have a tea drinking robot ...now that is impressive...wonder if it has it's own robo butler to bring the tea...

Actually, docking was easier in Elite with the docking computer switched off. That thing had a death-wish.

Doesn't look like a window to me...

http://www.is.northropgrumman.com/systems/nucasx47b_assets/photos/low/0012.jpg

It's not a frakkin' air intake or window, I tells ya.

It's that black bit with the red blip that goes whoop, whoop... whoop, whoop... For the last time, it's a frakkin' Cylon.

The link you gave

http://www.is.northropgrumman.com/systems/nucasx47b_assets/photos/low/0012.jpg

... just shows a happy space invader. (Why? Cos he's just landed at the northrop grumman base innit?)

L2id_your_alienz_plz

especially flying ones!

Any one ever see a nice looking Navy-like remote controlled B2 bomber? (Take a look and see if this does not look like the B2?)

so they have the remote control steath aircraift , now they just need the remote tanks next

that they're worshipping it by candle light.