Reaper at the USAF Museum.....

[+Dave]

and it says, I am here to kick ass and chew bubble gum and I'm all out of bubble gum.

[+GrinchWSLG]

Isaac Asimov is gonna be so pissed.

[Lexx_Luthor]

Isaac Asimov is gonna be so pissed.

For the last few yarns I've been meaning to get Haldeman's Forever Peace and this reminds me again. Rear echelon controls super-hi-tech robots to fight far away dirt poor nations. The reviews seem to indicate a weird cosmo big bang theme, so I may skip it. I don't do big bang (don't ask).

[+Gocad]

Isaac Asimov is gonna be so pissed.

 

Since when do the Reaper operators have to abide the three laws of robotics?

[+JediMaster]

They don't. These things are just as automated as manned vehicles. They can takeoff, fly waypoints, and land by themselves, but they can't fight.

[+FastCargo]

Actually had a sf writer express the same 3 laws concern, which really makes no sense.

 

Today's 'robots' are not aware enough to understand the concepts in the 3 laws. They're still basically large R/C aircraft.

 

FC

[+GrinchWSLG]

If the military's plans were to continue making the semi-manned vehicles I wouldn't have mentioned it. But the Reaper opened the door and its very obvious that all services are moving full steam toward autonomous vehicles. The Air Force is definitely spearheading the movement. Its a slippery slope to say the least.

[+whiteknight06604]

as long as no one names anything "skynet" we should be ok.I kinda like the irony of robots sending the "faithful" to their just rewards.

[+Gocad]

Full steam? Hardly. There is no doubt that UCAVs will play a greater role in the future, but in the end they will be still flown by humans. I guess it's fair to say that the technology still isn't there to build an aircraft that could strike targets on its own.

 

That would be a strange sight anyway....imagine someone with a map standing in front of the optical sensor of an aircraft and saying something like "Get there, strike that target and be back before 6 pm or else".

[+FastCargo]

And don't let anyone fool you...there have been several problems with UAVs that have shown the weaknesses in the technology.

 

The magical automonous robot plane isn't going to be around for a while.

 

FC

[+Gr.Viper]

Could be fun if they bring QH-50D back into action...

Edited February 17, 2010 by Gr.Viper

[+JediMaster]

All UAVs offer over manned planes is 1) endurance beyond what a human pilot could bear and still be combat-effective and 2) no POW in case of loss over enemy territory combined with no need for dangerous CSAR missions to retrieve the pilot.

 

They were supposed to be cheaper, but there's nothing inexpensive about any of the ones that are used for combat. The recon-only ones can be cheap, sure, but a camera in the sky is a different job. Add more stuff, like Global Hawk, and you get something that costs $50m easy even without a pilot.

 

So right now UAVs are exploding in growth just like manned airplanes did during and after WWI. We'll soon reach a balance point and it will stay relatively static in numbers vs manned platforms. When will that be? Just what will that ratio be? Too early to say, but manned planes aren't going anyway in our lifetimes.

 

As for autonomous UAVs...have you guys actually ever thought your PC was even close to smart? SF writers used to think by the year 2000 we'd be vacationing on the Moon, driving around in automatic flying cars, and having philosophical talks with computers the size of a room that printed out on paper and took days to do anything. Instead we're giving up the Moon because we have to give more money to private industry bailouts, our cars suffer from such banal defects as gas and brake pedal issues, and computers are small enough to fit in your palm while being fast enough to do almost anything...and are still dumber than an in-bred meth-head with a head wound.

[ezlead]

They are great for some.

But,did you ever try to get one to buy you a tall cold brewski at the club after a tough mission.

You can't beat the "sweatin' your a%% off,scared to death,master arm on,gut wrenchin' high "g" roll in,"ones in hot" of the real thing.

[serverandenforcer]

as long as no one names anything "skynet" we should be ok.I kinda like the irony of robots sending the "faithful" to their just rewards.

 

Or how about EDI?

[jomni]

Wouldn't it be cool to simulate UAV's in the Strike Fighters 2 game engine?

No cockpit but you just get a hud in a TV screen.

Only problem is that if your UAV gets shot down, the pilot is KIA as well.

[+Gocad]

Or how about EDI?

 

"I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees."

 

EDI > skynet

[TX3RN0BILL]

Now that I think about it... their pilots really fly the "Ultimate Flight Sim"!!!

 

And no death from a crash or shoot-down either...

[+Gr.Viper]

Wouldn't it be cool to simulate UAV's in the Strike Fighters 2 game engine?No cockpit but you just get a hud in a TV screen.

I thought about modeling a room or at least a desk with a screen running camera feed, a large map screen and a set of instrument dials for QH-50 mod which I started but I never even finished the chopper's model I really suck at long term projects...

[+DWCAce]

In the museum already?!

 

BTW, Skynet DOES exist. It's UAL's intranet.