Lockheed Martin Plans Unmanned Aircraft 322
Carl Bialik from the WSJ writes "Lockheed Martin's secretive Skunk Works unit--which previously developed U-2 spy plane, the SR-71 supersonic spy plane and the radar-evading F-117 stealth fighter--has big plans for its latest project: drones. Among the concepts under development, according to the Wall Street Journal: 'One drone would be launched from, and retrieved by, submarines; another would fly at nine times the speed of sound. A third, which is off the drawing board but not quite airborne, has wings designed to fold in flight so that it could rapidly turn from slow-speed spy plane to quick-strike bomber.' The WSJ's reporter also is allowed a rare visit to the Skunk Works complex: 'A factory hall was filled with the prototype of a massive helium-filled airship that one day might ferry troops and heavy equipment to distant battlefields faster and more efficiently than ships--no port or airbase needed. The blimp would float just above the ground on four hover pads, meaning that "you could literally pick a farmer's field" to set down in, says program manager Robert Boyd.'"
big balloon at war (Score:4, Funny)
At least until somebody shot at your gigantic air-filled target...
Parsing (Score:2, Funny)
Verb: Unmanned
Object: Aircraft
This is just a simple SVO sentence. So, which plans of Lockeed Martin unmanned which aircraft, and how? Inquiring minds want to know.
Re:big balloon at war (Score:3, Funny)
Dones? Already been done (Score:5, Funny)
(Yes, I'm being sarcastic)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomarrow (Score:2, Funny)
I, for one, Welcome our Floating Blimp Overlords (Score:3, Funny)
Now our plan for world domination shall be COMPLETE!
Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Re:Like the skunk works is open to the WSJ? (Score:5, Funny)
This is a group that developed the first operational jet fighters
Lockheed made planes for Hitler???
Kirov Airships (Score:2, Funny)
Re:UAV (Score:3, Funny)
Noooo!!!! Didn't you see "Stealth" where the plane goes rogue and starts killing everyone??? No? Me either.
Re:big balloon at war (Score:3, Funny)
Pics (Score:2, Funny)
The best part is, when one is destroyed, it's consciousness is downloaded into another unit, saving on re-training time. Though it might get bitter about being destroyed over and over...
Signs you watch Chappelle's Show too much... (Score:5, Funny)
In a Slashdot discussion, you read the phrase
Re:Parsing (Score:3, Funny)
Women are already flying aircraft (Score:1, Funny)
Hand-launched drones? (Score:5, Funny)
My son and I were involved in the construction of some of those recently. They were manufactured from sheets of cellulose fiber, carefully bent into the best aerodynamic shapes and flown in our indoor testing ground.
We're still working on the surveillance part but the hand-launching went well. Many made it all the way across the house.
Re:The Germans got there first (Score:4, Funny)
Oh, sure. Next, you'll be telling us that the Americans didn't crack the German Enigma code (as per the film "U-571"), and that instead the code was cracked by a rag-tag collection of scientists, linguists and crossword-puzzle addicts at Bletchley Park in England. http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ [bletchleypark.org.uk]
The Americans do everything first. Everyone knows that (particularly the Americans).
long-term occupation... (Score:5, Funny)
In Germany.
It's a quagmire, I tell you! I blame Churchill for not having an exit strategy.