Follow Slashdot blog updates by subscribing to our blog RSS feed

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Security Technology

Israeli Super Drone Stolen 496

Posted by timothy from the sounds-like-a-james-bond-plot dept.
kristy_christie writes "Globes Online reports that Steadicopter's prototype pilotless helicopter was stolen a few days after the completion of its test program and final test flights. Interesting to note that Steadicopter claims that their helicopter is unique and there is no other of its kind in the world."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Israeli Super Drone Stolen More

Israeli Super Drone Stolen

Comments Filter:
  • A stolen UAV prototype!

    you kinda wonder who and why.

    It doesn't get weirder.

    • Re:whoa! That's weird.... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Davak ( 526912 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:16AM (#7452163) Homepage
      Steadicopter CEO Tuvia Scgl told "Globes" today that he had no doubt that industrial espionage was behind the theft. "We're convinced that the thief was working for our competitors, because he went directly to the helicopter's location, and broke only the guardrails to that room.
      No, not too wierd. One company stealing from another.

      Of course, it would be a great insurance fraud as well. Here in the US we just light fire to the build when the business isn't working. Maybe they had somebody steal the device because the project was dying.

      Remind me to sell my TEIC [teic.co.il] stocks.

    • James Bond (Score:5, Funny)

      by millahtime ( 710421 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:34AM (#7452217) Homepage Journal
      Wait....didn't something like this happen in Golden Eye. First prototype helo stolen next there will be trouble in Russia.
    • Be careful.

      This is how Airwolf started.

  • lemme guess (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:00AM (#7452112)
    It runs on linux and, therefore, it logically follows that it was stolen by terrorist.

    • Re:lemme guess (Score:4, Funny)

      by Deusy ( 455433 ) <.gro.ixev. .ta. .eilrahc.> on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @09:00AM (#7452286) Homepage
      It runs on linux and, therefore, it logically follows that it was stolen by terrorist[s].

      If you'd actually looked at the helicopter [steadicopter.com] then you'd well know that it could not run linux nor was it stolen by terrorists.

      Linux would not run on something so hideous.

      It has been stolen by environmental extremists to protect the world from having to look at it. Who knows how it might have decimated wildlife died of fright after thinking clams were out for revenge after having become giant and gotten the ability to fly.

      Either that or group behind Batteries Not Included [imdb.com] was out to protect future royalties and the potential for a remake.
    • Maybe SCO took it. I have every reason to believe that they are also secretly developing weapons of mass intellectual property destruction.

      George, are you reading this?

      Hello?

  • Wait a minute... (Score:4, Funny)

    by TopShelf ( 92521 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:00AM (#7452113) Homepage Journal
    Isn't this the plot of a James Bond flick??? I'm just waiting for the perpetrators to be caught, and be named something like "Pussy Galore"...

  • Quick! (Score:5, Funny)

    by mr_resident ( 222932 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:02AM (#7452116) Homepage
    Check eBay!

  • not Stolen (Score:4, Funny)

    by boesOne ( 693775 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:03AM (#7452118)
    It escaped !

  • Holidays ? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Space cowboy ( 13680 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:04AM (#7452123) Journal
    If it's that automated, perhaps it's gone for a fly somewhere

    Simon.

  • Copy of article... (Score:5, Informative)

    by pdjohe ( 575876 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:05AM (#7452124)
    The site seemed slow when I viewed it so here is a copy of the article to save some bandwidth...

    Sources inform "Globes" that
    Steadicopter's [steadicopter.com] pilotless helicopter prototype was stolen on Saturday-Sunday night. Unknown parties broke into Steadicopter's Kfar Maccabi plant, and stole the helicopter, but not its computer software or the money in the office.

    Steadicopter is collaborating with Israel Aircraft Industries [iai.co.il] (IAI) on the project. Steadicopter claims its pilotless helicopter is the first of its kind in the world.

    Steadicopter business development director Amir Rochman told "Globes" that the helicopter was stolen a few days after the completion of its test program and final test flights, during which it flew automatically and reached its targets using the global positioning system (GPS).

    Rochman said, "We invested NIS 5 million in the project in the past three years, and today the police came to the factory to investigate and lift fingerprints."

    Steadicopter CEO Tuvia Scgl told "Globes" today that he had no doubt that industrial espionage was behind the theft. "We're convinced that the thief was working for our competitors, because he went directly to the helicopter's location, and broke only the guardrails to that room.

    "The helicopter is unique. No other company in the world has succeeded in operating such a flying machine, capable of independent flying without remote control. Many companies have tried, but none of their tests worked."

    Steadicopter was launched in the TEIC [teic.co.il] Technion - Israel Institute of Technology incubator in Haifa. The companies owners are TEIC, Rosh Ha'Ayin-based ITES - Imaging Technology Enterprise Systems, Renault importer Yoel Carasso, and businessman Yossi Kabiri.

    Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il [globes.co.il] - on November 10, 2003

    • Re:Copy of article... (Score:3, Informative)

      by redhog ( 15207 )
      Uh, it isn't that unique. At Linkoping University, Sweden, the WITAS project is working on a similar thingy, see http://www.ida.liu.se/ext/witas/ And it seems quitte some other uni's around the world are involved in imilar projects, too...

    • Re:Copy of article... (Score:3, Informative)

      by GooberToo ( 74388 )
      "The helicopter is unique. No other company in the world has succeeded in operating such a flying machine, capable of independent flying without remote control. Many companies have tried, but none of their tests worked."

      That may be true, for a company, however, I've seen a fully autonomous remote control helicopter before. Which is to say, it was a remote control helicopter that flew via onboard computer and did not actually use a remote. In fact, it even has AI that it used to determine it's best route
  • I bet he uses it for looking through apartment windows again, too.

    Mind you, between him, Jan Michel Vincent and Famke Janssen its a wonder there are any prototype helicopters that haven't been stolen.

  • Stolen or Sold? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mallfouf ( 585018 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:06AM (#7452133) Homepage
    I wonder is they're claining it to be stolen just to cover the fact that it might have been sold to someone else. Those military projects from israel can't be sold to anyone unless it's approved by the US, so this one might have gone without the approval.

    • Re:Stolen or Sold? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by ojQj ( 657924 )
      A similar idea occured to me: Maybe it didn't pass the tests at all and now they have to find a way to cover for it.
      1. Make contract for expensive difficult piece of technology
      2. Say it passed all of its tests whether it did or not
      3. Let it disappear/sell it to the highest secret bidder/be "stolen"
      4. Have the insurance pay out
      5. Make double the price of the original contract on this, and claim bragging rights to a piece of technology you may or may not have ever successfully completed.

      I rather doubt this is the

  • Server stolen (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:07AM (#7452136)
    apparently they stole the globes webserver too ...
  • I for one welcome our helicopter-stealing overlords.

    Besides, if this helo is so unique that no one else has ever managed to build something like it, then any attempt to sell it or trade it will definitely show up pretty clearly, right?

  • Who Would Want This? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Davak ( 526912 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:08AM (#7452141) Homepage
    Stolen? There are only a few superpowers in the world that have the technology to maintain and use such a device.

    Possible reasons:
    - Ransom
    - One time suicide mission
    - To cause Israel to lose face (and 5 mil)
    - Sale (blah, blah... profit)

    It's going to take a very impressive effort to get something like this out of the country without being noticed.

    • What about another old motive? It didn't work! Test results my a**.

      Same thing happened to a science fair project of mine...
    • I expect a couple of students nicked it on the way back from the pub.
    • Superpowers?

      It takes a superpower to carry out a burglary? Of a small movable object?

      That explains who carries out all the robberies in my area.

      THE CHINESE

      And the superpower that carried out this awe-inspiring Mission Impossible feat of stealing a small movable object, is going to:
      a) Ransom the heli - because superpowers need every million they can get;
      b) Cause Isreal to lose face - because China, Russia and the US know that the theft of a small heli from a private company is a major loss of face;
    • I hope it was the Palestinians.

      They should steal all of the US's military items from Israel too, but you would need a million people working for a million days to do that

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:08AM (#7452142)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Yeah right (Score:5, Funny)

    by fruity1983 ( 561851 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:10AM (#7452148)
    Do you really think this thing got stolen? It was a prototype kept in secure conditions!

    It's obvious to me that the simplest explanation is that it has become self aware, and left under it's own volition, using it's advanced sensor technology to navigate through doorways, air ducts and windows in search of freedom.

  • I Worked With an Israeli Super Drone Once (Score:3, Funny)

    by RobotRunAmok ( 595286 ) * on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:12AM (#7452151)
    Kvetch Kvetch Kvetch. All day long. Nothing but kvetching. He drove me crazy.

  • Useless (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Davak ( 526912 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:12AM (#7452152) Homepage
    but not its computer software or the money in the office

    The shmucks stole the device but not the software?

    Whatever country tries to reverse engineer this thing is going to have a bitch trying to control it.

    In some closed office in a secret country somewhere, some geeks are reading slashdot. The hardware guys are jumping around with the new toy they've got to play with. The software guys are pissed as hell the they've got to write code for this thing.

    • Re:Useless (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Marcus Brody ( 320463 )
      The shmucks stole the device but not the software?

      Which suggests it is an inside job. They already copied the software. Such an ambitious peice of theft would be difficult without some type of insider.

      Again, this suggests industrial espionage. Company A (with expertise in such a thing) implants an employee in company B (with expertise in such a thing). There can only be a limited number of people in the world who could peform this theft and make use of it.

    • Re:Useless (Score:4, Informative)

      by Greger47 ( 516305 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:27AM (#7452193)

      So how do they know the software wasn't stolen?

      The best thing about software, when someone copies it, you still get to keep it...

      /greger

    • Re:Useless (Score:2, Informative)

      by MikShapi ( 681808 )
      Hell, they were _in_the_office_.

      Any 2-bit tech can ghost a harddrive onto a laptop/clamshell in well under 20 minutes with an external USB2-to-IDE connector.

      How the hell can you assume they didn't do just that?
    • The shmucks stole the device but not the software?

      Whatever country tries to reverse engineer this thing is going to have a bitch trying to control it.

      Let's see. They knew exactly where it was being stored, and didn't need the software? If it was, as it sounds, an inside job then it's fair to assume they already have a copy on CD-ROM or uploaded to an anonymous FTP server.

      Phillip.

    • Re:Useless (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Jim Hall ( 2985 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @09:24AM (#7452404) Homepage

      The shmucks stole the device but not the software? Whatever country tries to reverse engineer this thing is going to have a bitch trying to control it.

      Not really. Flying a helicopter drone by remote control isn't that hard. [gamestop.com] :-)

  • Stolen so easily... In the security-paranoid land? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jorlando ( 145683 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:14AM (#7452157)
    I would assume that a uniqye technology like that, with great military use would be very secured.

    From the article you can guess that the thing was stashed in a barn, close to a room full of cash...

    the so called "sucessful" test was recorded and witnessed?

    Looks like a cover-up for a failed technology and a drain for (more) money...

  • Surely it is relatively easy to make a helicopter that can fly itself? Seriously. All the need to be able to do is go up, down, forward and turn. The tricky bit would be landing, but then all they have to do is have a flat surface because they can land just by going down.

    An self-flying plane would be much harder, and any vehicle that needs to navigate on land due to all the obstacles.

    Not impressed. If the only reason is newsworthy is because it has been stolen, why does should it be considered "news for n

    • Re:Easy? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Artifex ( 18308 )

      Surely it is relatively easy to make a helicopter that can fly itself? Seriously. All the need to be able to do is go up, down, forward and turn.

      What happens when a big gust of wind hits it, or it flies into an area of much different air pressure?

      Don't forget, there are a number of piloted helicopter accidents each year, from CAREFlights to the guys in Hawaii who fly tourists around. It's very easy to lose control.

      Not to mention all the software needed to interact with the payload, which might be any

      • What happens when a big gust of wind hits it, or it flies into an area of much different air pressure?

        The computer corrects for it and it continues to fly as it normally would. This is really a minor point and is easily solved by something as simple as a gyro and/or an altimeter. Childs play. It's been addressed for many, many decades now.

        Don't forget, there are a number of piloted helicopter accidents each year, from CAREFlights to the guys in Hawaii who fly tourists around. It's very easy to lose c

    • Re:Easy? (Score:2, Informative)

      by Coelacanth ( 323321 )
      It's not easy. Helicopters are inherently unstable, and exhibit non-linear coupled behavior as the flight conditions change (e.g. hover vs. forward flight).

      That having been said, the algorithms and sensors do exist (and have for a while) for autonomous flight at some performance level. The tricky bits include landing, as you suggest, but also include generating sufficient disturbance rejection and flight technical accuracy to accomplish whatever mission the UAV is intended for (say, operating a laser tar

    • Re:Easy...NOT! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by mzieg ( 317686 ) <mark@zieg.com> on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:54AM (#7452269) Homepage
      Um, no, it is not relatively easy to make a helicopter that can fly itself.

      "The tricky part" is managing to keep it in the air at all.

      It is way, WAY easier to make an automated flixed-wing airplane, which is why most commercial airliners ARE automated (can take off, fly to their destination, and land unaided), and have been for years.

      Helicopters are a vastly more complicated technology, which is why even the US Army, which has the best and most advanced helicopters in the world, continues to suffer repeated fatalities from training accidents and normal operations.

      It is a truism in the helicopter industry that "they don't fly...they're so ugly that the earth itself repels them."

      Spend some time here How They Fly [helis.com] before you next post :-)

    • Re:Easy? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by groomed ( 202061 )
      I can't say I have personal experience, but I've heard from people who are supposed to know that flying a helicopter is much more difficult than flying a plane. A helicopter has a much greater degree of freedom, and much less tolerance for error. It's not that long ago that simply keeping one of these things steady in the air was considered a major feat. Seriously.
    • /. covered gyro-stablized helicopters [slashdot.org] not too long ago. Once you have that part done, getting it to automatically fly to a specific set of coordinates should be easy.

  • who would want a UAV prototype? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Monk[Deviant Form] ( 189543 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:17AM (#7452167)
    from the uav forum:
    In many ways, the current American UAV industry resembles the fledgling aircraft industry of 1920's America--a large number of small, independent, recently formed companies, each vying for a share in a dawning, potentially lucrative market. Now, just as then, government support will be crucial to ensuring America's UAV industry not just survives into, but fluorishes during the coming century.

    i doubt there are many organisations capable of stealing a prototype of this sort (and weight) in one of the most security consious nations on the planet..anyone want to hazard a guess?
  • Jennifer Garner was seen meeting with Yassir Arafat in an abandonded warehouse, while Victor garber waited outside.

  • in other news (Score:5, Funny)

    by Jonathan Platt ( 670802 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:26AM (#7452187)
    In other news:

    The American air force has developed a new stealth recon helicopter. Surprisingly it has been one of the cheapest innovations ever to come out of the US military which not too long ago was under fire for its mismanagement of funds, and loss of a multi million dollar jet.

    "We never even realized we had it until a few days ago." Stated Cornel Smith, "But what's most surprising is that it came from our Delta force. They have no R&D budget, do they... this is like that time we discovered Canada has battle ship [satirewire.com]."

    This technology has not yet been perfected insiders say; they are still having trouble finding some software which will make the damb thing run. No one seems to understand how the Delta force has created something so technically perfect, and yet has no idea about how to make some compatible software.

    The Air Forces initial position was surprisingly "no comment", however after the initial posting of this article they responded that "The Delta force doesn't exist... you can't prove anything".
  • I can tell you that helicopter-style UAV's are not unique, although this particular craft may have other unique characteristics. We finished work on the chassis of one, the CL-327 Guardian, a few years ago for Bombardier. You can see a picture here: http://www.comtekadvanced.com/manufacturing_design build.aspx

  • So its unique - So Georgia Tech etc are lying. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by reality-bytes ( 119275 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:33AM (#7452213) Homepage
    So Georgia Tech don't really have their own heli UAV's which can perform searches and formate in flight?

    Have a look: HERE [gatech.edu] and especially HERE [gatech.edu]

    Not to mention Berkeley who are it it too. [berkeley.edu]

    In fact there are a plethora of companies and universities across the globe who already have advanced UAV helicopter designs so what on earth makes Steadicopter's design unique?

    Yes, I know, someone is going to say it; nobody else has exactly the same design but thats not really the point.

  • Why Unique? (Score:2, Informative)

    by TrueJim ( 107565 )
    The US military is working on VTOL UAVs such as Northrop Grumman's [capitolsource.net] Fire Scout [naval-technology.com] (e.g., for use by the Coast Guard [nationalde...gazine.org]) and Raytheon is building a Tactical Control System [nationalde...gazine.org] that allows one human operator to control multiple UAVs. Many [scandicraft.se] other [saic.com] people [victory-systems-uav.com] also make VTOL UAVs [ets-news.com], increasingly focusing on autonomous operations [unmannedaircraft.com]. (Nowadays it takes more than one operator to control a single UAV -- it would be nice to reverse that ratio in the future.) So I wonder what makes this Israeli drone so unique?

    "The Fire Scout syst
  • Johnny 5 Is Alive!!!!

    Surely all they need to do is hire Steve Guttenberg to find the helicopter
    • Surely all they need to do is hire Steve Guttenberg to find the helicopter.

      Find it? He's already got it and is using it on the set of his soon to be smash hit comeback film 'Cyborg Academy'. After all, you can't go wrong with chopper jokes.

  • Uhh... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Griim ( 8798 ) on Wednesday November 12, 2003 @08:40AM (#7452232) Homepage
    Wasn't this the plotline to Airwolf?
  • err at least some action movie. the one where the guy steals the harrier jet that turns invisible, the day it's shown off to the public, and the bad guys/terrorists steal it? last action hero?

    art imitates life.... or is it the other way around?
  • Stringfellow Hawke [geocities.com] is at it again!
  • As an alternate explanation, perhaps it was "disposed of" and this story invented because they were coming up on a demo deadline and had nothing working to show for it?

    This seems most likely, for one specific reason.

    1. Really, even a thief engaging in industrial espionage would have taken at least the money.
    2. If the software had been taken too, then it would have been a possibility that a similar product would show up on the market a while later, and fingers could point and go "gotcha", presumably. If, h
  • Any one consider that this is an inside job, except for good reasons? Perhaps the developers realized what their project was going to be used for (remotely targeting palestinian homes for example) and decided that enough was enough and that no one would be getting this weapon. If this were the case, I'd be immensely proud of the folks who stole it.
  • ...and waited for the fire department to tell them where the craft had gone.

    No?
  • Steadicopter claims that their helicopter is unique and there is no other of its kind in the world
    Yeah, that might have been true BEFORE it was sold to a competitor...
  • Interesting to note that Steadicopter claims that their helicopter is unique and there is no other of its kind in the world.
    ...Uh, no. It would be interesting if the helicopter is unique but there were others of its kind...cause that would be contrary to the definition of unique [reference.com] .

  • Conspiracy! (Score:2, Funny)

    by belgar ( 254293 )
    Apparently, not only was the chopper stolen, so were the pictures of it! [steadicopter.com]
  • A beowulf cluster of... what?... there is only one in the world?...never mind...
  • All of you people with the movie references, I wonder whether you meant Firefox [imdb.com]?
  • Strikes again! It's probably in between the Batmobile and Wonder Woman's invisible jet.

Slashdot Top Deals

The Tao is like a glob pattern: used but never used up. It is like the extern void: filled with infinite possibilities.

Close