[News] Skynet Completed, Reaper Drones To Be Deployed

[Hammer]

A significant milestone in the UK's biggest space project is reached on Friday with the launch of the third and final Skynet 5 satellite.

The military communications platform will be lofted by an Ariane rocket from Europe's equatorial spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana.

It will provide British forces with the secure, high-bandwidth capability they now need to run their operations.

...

The new system will allow British forces to make use of next-generation weapons systems, such as the recently introduced Reaper drones.

These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are deployed over Afghanistan but are remotely piloted by RAF personnel in the US.

This is made possible only by Skynet's ability to handle the drones' real-time video feeds

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7419751.stm

Far less exciting then the thread title implies unfortunately.

Whoever makes up names for MoD weapons needs to spend less time watching Sci-Fi films.

[djtoast]

Surely some potential copyright issue there?

I recall years back someone (at Lucasfilm presumably) tried to have a go about the use of the term Star Wars for the anti-missile defence system.

I wouldn't anger the people who control nuclear bombs, personally...

[hammertime]

The fuck's a Reaper Drone?

Fairly ominous name... is it used in the pursuit of peace?

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by hammertime

The fuck's a Reaper Drone?

Fairly ominous name... is it used in the pursuit of peace?

Perfectly harmless aerial recon robot. Sounds like it should be some kind of ultimate killing machine though.

[djtoast]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Perfectly harmless aerial recon robot. Sounds like it should be some kind of ultimate killing machine though.

"Perfectly harmless" in that it doesn't itself drop bombs on folks, but tells them where to, presumably

[Largest of Als]

Reaper UAV

Basically, it's the armed variant of the Predator surveillance UAV..


The new UK designed Taranis UCAV will be the next big step.. although it's a few years away yet.


There's also the FireScout Heli UCAV

And also in the next few years we'll see a new breed of 'loitering' munitions.. basically tiny UAV's that are bombs with brains.. they'll hang about above an area of operation, ready to drop whenever needed..



Al

[Largest of Als]

BAE Announce 'Fury'

BAE Systems has unveiled its Fury armed reconnaissance and close air support unmanned air vehicle at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International North America 2008 convention in San Diego, California.
With a similar airframe and using some components from BAE's Herti reconnaissance and surveillance UAV, Fury has a pusher propeller, a wingspan of 12.5m (41ft), is 5.1m long and is pictured carrying the developmental Thales lightweight multirole missile.
Trials involving the weapon have included fuselage missile blast effects analysis, target engagement with a live round fired from a static air vehicle and the tracking of ground targets from the air. Airborne trials have also simulated remote firing of the missile towards a fixed target.

"Fury has the ability to perform a number of military roles," says BAE's project director Chris Clarkson. "With a high degree of autonomy, it combines many of the already proven elements of our other unmanned platforms, including a small logistic footprint."
Future trials will demonstrate a guided missile launch from an airborne Fury to strike a target, demonstrating both the weapon's safe separation from the aircraft and its control. Target acquisition, designation, tracking and guidance will be provided by the Fury's avionics and mission system, while target confirmation and launch authority will be the weapon operator's responsibility.

Al

[Hammer]

I was reading somewhere (think it was Wired), that one type of these UAV drones is capable of carrying munitions equivalent to the F-18 jet plane, despite being much smaller. Crazy stuff.

[djtoast]

I think their naming conventions could stand updating.

Isn't it a better plan to name that kinda thing "Dove" rather than "Fury" so that everyone can claim that deploying it is part of ensuring peace and security...?

Rather than "Forty-five iraqi children were killed today when a Fury unit blew the shit out of a school" you could say "The world became a safer place today as the tactical Dove unit helped eradicate a building that could have been used as an enemy stronghold."

[TSR]

Mini robots which travel underground and eat you

I can't remember the name of that film now

[Largest of Als]

Originally Posted by TSR

Mini robots which travel underground and eat you

I can't remember the name of that film now

Screamers...


Al

[hammertime]

Originally Posted by djtoast

I think their naming conventions could stand updating.

Isn't it a better plan to name that kinda thing "Dove" rather than "Fury" so that everyone can claim that deploying it is part of ensuring peace and security...?

Rather than "Forty-five iraqi children were killed today when a Fury unit blew the shit out of a school" you could say "The world became a safer place today as the tactical Dove unit helped eradicate a building that could have been used as an enemy stronghold."

Come on, that's only been named as such so that commanders can say "Unleash the Fury" and you well know it.

[metallideth]

Whatever happened to those drone things that the police were going to get to hovver around towns shouting abuse at children?

[hammertime]

^The Jaketron 5000 series?