The other night I was flipping the channels to find something my 7-year-old could watch with us (without subjecting Mom and I to yet another PBS Kids show) when we happened to go past the Military Channel. The moment we did so they were just entering a show on the development of the AV-8B Harrier, the US and British fixed-wing V/STOL aircraft. I paused for just a moment as some early development footage showed a test pilot decide that that particular day’s flight was going pretty poorly – a decision communicated by his pulling the loud handle and punching out of the plane. My daughter recognized that something had gone pretty wrong with that image (pilots aren’t supposed to leave the plane before the ride has come to a complete stop) but I had to explain to her what had happened and why. I was reminded of a chat with an Air Force pilot some years ago where he told me that the most expensive component of a fighter jet was the pilot flying it.
Military vehicle designers have all thought about the notion of what they could accomplish were they able to build their machine without having to worry about the systems necessary to keep a human operator alive. Armor, air systems, temperature control, even sanitation and water supplies in longer-duration types are all systems that keep the human pilots alive and in fighting shape, but don’t really add to the machine’s offensive punch. There are limits to the human capacity to endure certain environmental effects and, at present, there are some of those effects we can do nothing about. (I’m speaking of G-forces but I’m sure there are others.) Imagine the capability you could build into a machine if the pilot could operate the vehicle from a distance, safe from both enemy fire and environmental effects.
Oh, man, are you kidding me? WHAT PILOT EVER GOT LUCKY IN A BAR BY TELLING SOME HOT HARDBODY THEY FIDDLED WITH JOYSTICKS AT A COMPUTER CONSOLE FOR A LIVING?!?!?
Yeah, well, not all progress is sexy. The profusion of remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) on the ground, at sea, and in the air shows you that the idea has merit and even members of the military are becoming comfortable with the idea. While there have been examples of ROVs (aircraft have picked up the nomenclature “unmanned aerial vehicle” or UAV; it’s an “unmanned combat aerial vehicle or UCAV if it’s armed) that been armed, most of them are recon or spotter vehicles. The Air Force has Predator and Global Hawk UCAVs but there’s not been an unmanned bomber. At least, not yet:
For almost a century, military bombers have played a significant role in turning the tides of world wars. These heavyweights often provide critical firepower in otherwise unreachable areas.
Despite the pullback of manned bombers in Afghanistan, the military continues to look toward a future of more reliable, accurate and effective bombers. The 2018 Bomber, some experts believe, is the answer.
The 2018 Bomber, now being developed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, will be a long-range, penetrating heavy bomber that is flown autonomously by ground personnel.
On April 6, 2009, the Obama administration announced that the 2018 Bomber, also known as the Next Generation Bomber, would not make the cut for the defense budget.
But just last week, long-term funding may have been secured with a bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The 2018 Bomber (officially the “New Generation Bomber”) is a project, not a particular plane. The Boeing/Lockheed design looks an awful lot like a slightly-modified B2 stealth bomber. The picture available at the Fox News story is an artist’s conception, of course, so the actual plane might look very different. The key difference between this proposal and previous bombers is the fact the the crew won’t be flying aboard the ship. They’ll be in bunkers a long way from the strike and, while it won’t earn the swagger B-17 pilots completing their 50th mission acquired, they’ll be safe and ready to launch another mission even if their ship gets shot out of the sky.
I question whether this is really even possible in true battlefield conditions given the problems of simply operating a plane effectively via telepresence. Add in to those problems radio jamming and the fact that we won’t, by the nature of what’s going on in a shooting war, have any transmitters close by when the bomber comes to do its work and I just can’t see it. But we’ve overcome worse technological challenges before so…
July 4th, 2009
Posted by
ricjames |
Aviation, Military, Technology |
one comment
Just over 6 months ago perennial idiot, racist, and all-around loser buffoon Cynthia McKinney raised the bar on moronic behavior by attempting to run an Israeli naval picket line in order to bring supplies in to Palestinians outside of accepted channels. Little more than a publicity stunt, the even failed to attract major headlines. So, what does someone who’s truly stupid do when faced with a losing strategy? Why, she doubles down, of course. McKinney tried it again and screamed the same excuses she used the last time about being in International waters, blah blah blah. This time, she wasn’t just turned away or sent packing home as soon as they were caught. This time, she wound up in an Israeli jail. She’s due in court for a hearing Sunday.
Former U.S. lawmaker Cynthia McKinney is due to appear in an Israeli court Sunday after she and 20 other activists were taken into custody this week when their relief boat was seized by an Israeli naval ship.
The 2008 Green Party presidential candidate says the group, “Free Gaza Movement,” was trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza, but Israel says the boat attempted to sail through a navy blockade.
Israel said it would free the crew and passengers as soon as they were checked, but McKinney and the others say they refused to sign deportation forms because it would have entailed admitting they violated Israel’s blockade.
“The Israelis hijacked us because we wanted to give crayons to the children of Gaza,” McKinney said in a recorded statement delivered via telephone and posted on YouTube.
Nnnnnnoooooo, you’ve been legally arrested, not hijacked, and it was done because you willfully and with malice aforethought sought to illegally enter a foreign sovereign land with supplies unknown destined for people who have duly elected a government with the destruction of Israel explicitly encoded in their governing documents. “Crayons”, indeed. Not everyone is the imbecile you strive to be, madam.
My advice to the State Department: refuse to accept the deportation and let McKinney rot. At the very least, revoke her passport so we don’t have her befouling the honor of America further.
July 4th, 2009
Posted by
ricjames |
Crime & Punishment, GWOT, Politics |
no comments
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
With these words our Founding Fathers began a letter to the King of England in which they stood a separate and equal people on their feet to look into the eye of their former sovereign and assert that they were as much the masters of their fate as any on Earth, including the King. The letter was adopted 233 years ago today. Many who signed this document did so knowing full well their fate if they should fail or come back under the control of the king. Several met that fate and would not live to see the nation they envisioned, free of Britain’s rule, come to fruition. Their sacrifice enables us to live in the freedom they dreamed of without so much as a casual thought.
Today, we should be mindful of that and work to bring the enormity of what their actions and this Declaration meant to our full attention. In the years since then many have given their all – literally and figuratively – to ensure this nation’s liberty and to bring to reality the vision of those Founders long ago. Whether it’s a soldier standing fast in the face of overwhelming odds and near-certain death or a student nervously refusing to sit quietly while this nation’s greatness is mocked by a teacher or an average citizen who doesn’t let the rain deter him from casting a vote or a woman who refuses to take a seat in the back of a bus, Americans throughout these past 2¼ centuries have braved trials big and small to see the promise of this Declaration brought to us all.
On this day, as we enjoy parades, grill up a wonderful meal, and hoist a cold brew in celebration let us recall our fellow patriots and Americans who have brought us this day and take a quiet vow to measure up to their example.
Happy 4th of July, America.
July 4th, 2009
Posted by
ricjames |
History, Human Interest, Politics |
no comments
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