X-47B Need a lot of wisdom in deployment. Hope Kerry and little o don't give these to Putin in the deal. Thx Clay V!

FW: 21st Century Top Gun

 

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Are these made in China?

21st Century Top Gun            Controllers:   Northrop Grumman test pilots, Dave Lorenz , centre, and Bruce   McFadden , left, prepare  to launch the new X-47B off the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George  H.W. Bush off the coast of Virginia  this morning. They issue orders to the autonomous drone using their  forearm-mounted Control  Display Units seen in this picture.        Ready  to go: Flight crews give the X-47B's controllers a signal to launch.  The drone is the first to operate from an  aircraft carrier, which allows it to be deployed around the world  with no need for permission to use airfields in  other countries - increasingly difficult given the condemnation of  the U.S. governments use of drone  strikes        Lift  off: The drone takes off from the end of the George H.W. Bush 's  flight deck. The  X-47B is able to operate totally using artificial intelligence in  its on-board computers which merely need to  be set objectives by the drone's human operators. Critics have  warned the technology is a step towards the  development of 'killer robots'    Aside  from its ability to operate from aircraft carriers, another big  difference between the X-47B and  previous drones is that it does not need to be piloted by remote  control.    Instead,  it is controlled by a forearm-mounted box called the Control Display  Unit which  sends orders to an on-board computer which is able to use artificial  intelligence to think for itself, plotting  course corrections and charting new  directions.    The  unmanned drone will be set an objective by a human operator, for  example a target to look at or bomb, and  then it will navigate its way there using technology such as GPS,  autopilot and collision avoidance  sensors.    Critics  have warned the introduction of such AI into military weapons  systems is a step towards the development of  autonomous 'killer robots'. Navy officials say the drone will give  them around-the-clock intelligence, surveillance  and targeting capabilities.        Success:  The prototype X-47B took off successfully this morning and made two  low approaches to  the ship before heading back toward  land        Prototype:  The test aircraft isn't intended for operational use; instead, the  military is using the information it  gathers to develop the drone program    The  prototype X-47B took off successfully this morning from the  nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS  George H. W. Bush in the Atlantic Ocean off Virginia and made two  low approaches to the ship before  heading back toward land.    The  test aircraft, which has been designed and built by the weapons  maker Northrop Grumman , isn't  intended for operational use; instead, the military is using the  information it gathers during  these demonstrations to develop the drone  program.    The  Navy already operates two other unmanned aircraft: the small, low  cost ScanEagle, which  does not carry weapons; and the Fire Scout, which is armed but built  more like a helicopter.        Awesome:  Reporters wearing U.S. Navy-issued protective gear peer up as the  X-47B makes  a pass over the deck of the George H. W. Bush in the clear morning  skies        Advanced:  The X-47B can reach an altitude of more than 40,000ft, has a range  of more than 2,100  nautical miles and can reach high subsonic speeds, claims the  Navy        Fully  autonomous: Mr Lorenz , Northrop Grumman 's deck operator, drives an  X-47B using his arm-mounted controller.  It is fully autonomous in flight, relying on computer programs to  tell it where it to go unless a mission  operator needs to step in. The Pentagon has promised that it needs  human intervention in order to open  fire    Both  the military and the CIA use armed Predator and Reaper drones in  surveillance and strike operations around  the world. But while the military uses them routinely alongside  troops in Afghanistan and other war zones, the  spy agency has conducted frequent strikes in countries in which the   U.S. is not officially at war.    Over  the past 11 years in Yemen , 333 people have been reported killed,  including 47 civilians, among  them two children, in confirmed U.S. drone strikes, according to  figures collated by the Bureau of Investigative  Journalism thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/> .    A  suspected 96 further drone attacks in the Middle East country have  killed as many as 445, including  50 civilians and ten children.    In  Somalia over the past six years, as many as 27 have been reported  killed by drones, with  up to 15 of those reported as being civilian  bystanders.    And  in the border regions of Pakistan, where the U.S. has carried out  the most covert drone strikes, as  many as 3,533 people, including 884 civilians (197 of whom were  children), have been reported killed by CIA  drone strikes over the past nine years - triggering sharp criticism  from the government there.    Although  the drone attacks were started under the Bush administration in  2004, they  have been stepped up enormously under President Obama . Obama's top  counter-terrorism adviser, John  Brennan, has argued the U.S. has the right to unilaterally strike  terrorists anywhere in the world.    'Because  we are engaged in an armed conflict with al- Qaeda , the United  States takes the legal position that, in  accordance with international law, we have the authority to take  action against al-Qaeda  and its associated forces,' he told a conference at 09/17/us/john-o-brennan-on-use-of-military-force-against-al-qaeda.html>   Harvard Law   School last year.    'The   United States does not view our authority to use military force  against al-Qaeda as being restricted solely to "hot"  battlefields like Afghanistan .'        Rise  of the machines: Critics like the pressure group Human Rights Watch  have warned the introduction of AI into  military weapons systems is a step towards the development of  autonomous 'killer robots'. Navy  officials say the drone will give them around-the-clock  intelligence, surveillance and targeting  capabilities        Human  Rights Watch has called for a preemptive ban on the development and  use of any unmanned systems that  carry weapons and are able to select and engage targets with no  human intervention. There  are increasing fears that human scientists could one day lose  control of computer-based artificial intelligence systems    The  X-47B can reach an altitude of more than 40,000ft, has a range of  more than 2,100 nautical miles and can  reach high subsonic speeds, according to the  navy.    It  is fully autonomous in flight, relying on computer programs to tell  it where it to go unless a mission  operator needs to step in. That differs from other drones used by  the military, which  are more often piloted from remote  locations.    It  is not yet clear whether the drone will be able to open fire without  explicit authorization from its controller. The  Pentagon last November vowed that no robot weapon would be able to  decide when to attack humans.    That  promise came as Human Rights Watch issued a warning that autonomous  'killer robots' could  find their way onto battlefields within 20 years, or even  sooner.    The  group has called for a pre-emptive ban on the development and use of  any unmanned systems that  carry weapons and are able to select and engage targets with no  human intervention.    That  possibility is particularly alarming in light of increasing fears  that human scientists could one  day lose control of computer-based artificial intelligence  systems. Cambridge   University has even opened a centre where leading academics will  study the existential threat that  out-of-control robots could potentially pose to  humanity.    Today's  tests show the trend toward greater autonomy 'is not one that is  going to be stopped,' said   Steve Goose , director of the arms division at Human Rights  Watch.    'For  us, the question is where do you draw line? We're saying you need to  draw the line when you have a fully  autonomous system that is weaponized,' he  said.    'We're  saying you must have meaningful human control over key battlefield  decisions of who lives and who dies. That  should not be left up to the weapons system  itself.'        An  X-47B drone taxis in front of an F/A18 fighter plane as it is  prepared for take off: The  aircraft is as yet not equipped with military hardware, but is  designed for ample space to accommodate bombs and  surveillance equipment. Eliminating the need for life-support  equipment frees up the room for two 2,000lb  bomb bays        Space  saver: The X-47B has a wingspan of more than 62 feet - wider than  that of an F/A-18 Super Hornet - so  they must be folded up to conserve space at  sea        Sailors  move the X-47B into position on the George H. W. Bush 's flight deck  prior to its test flight today: Before  the drones can become commonplace the military has to prove they can  operate in the harsh conditions aboard  a sea-borne aircraft carrier. The aircraft used a steam catapult to  launch, just like a traditional Navy  war plane    The  aircraft is as yet not equipped with military hardware, but is  designed for ample space to accommodate bombs and  surveillance equipment. Not having a pilot eliminated the need for  much of the life support equipment and other  essentials that humans need to survive at high altitudes, giving it  the space for up to two 2,000lb  bombs.    Before  the drones can become commonplace, however, the military has to  prove they can operate in the harsh  conditions aboard an aircraft carrier at  sea.    The  aircraft used a steam catapult to launch, just like a traditional  Navy warplane does.    While  the tailless plane has not yet landed on the aircraft carrier, the  Navy plans to conduct those tests soon. Landing  on a moving aircraft carrier is considered one of the most difficult  challenges Navy pilots face.        An  X-47B is lifted on an aircraft elevator to the carrier's deck: While  the tailless plane has not yet landed on the aircraft carrier, the  Navy plans to conduct those tests soon. Landing  on a moving aircraft carrier is considered one of the most difficult  challenges Navy pilots face        Nearly  there: Earlier this month, the Navy successfully conducted a landing  at Naval  Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland where the X-47B used a tail  hook on the aircraft to catch a cable and  suddenly stop, just as planes landing on carriers have to  do    'These  are exciting times for the Navy as we are truly doing something that  has never been done before - something  I never imagined could be done during my 29-year naval career,' said  Rear Admiral Mat Winter, the  Navy's program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike  weapons, in blog post published  yesterday.    Following  the test launch, the plane made a series of approaches toward the  aircraft carrier before landing at Naval   Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland  .    Earlier  this month, the Navy successfully conducted a landing at that air  station where the X-47B  used a tail hook on the aircraft to catch a cable and suddenly stop,  just as planes landing on carriers have  to do.    In  the 2014 fiscal year, the Navy plans to demonstrate that the X-47B  can be refuelled in flight.    The  program cost is $1.4billion over eight years. A  planned variant of the craft, the X-47C will have a larger payload  provision of 10,000lbs and a wingspan of  172ft. DEATH FROM ABOVE: THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE U.S. NAVY'S LATEST STEALTH DRONE       Design:  Tailless, cranked-kite   Wingspan:  62ft   Length:  32ft   Max   Altitude: >40,000ft   Speed:  High subsonic   Max   Unrefuelled Range: >2,100 nautical miles   Max   Unrefuelled Flight Time: >6 hours   Take-off  Weight: 44,000lbs   Powerplant:   Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220U ]   Twin  Weapons Bays: 4,500lbs  payload