Boot Process Complete, Awaiting Command

Bagativi-l in fund. Cat mai adanc.

reminds me of the movie Stealth

So...who's going to land the thing on the deck of that carrier?

As far as I know, landing a jet on a carrier is still one of the toughest things to do in the military. Sure, robots have landed planes before, but they've all been on dry ground where the deck doesn't pitch up and down and is not moving slightly away from you at an angle.

I will be interested to see them do an autoland on an aircraft carrier. If it is possible, it will be truly amazing to watch.

well the first version of the X-47 landed on an aircraft carrier in february of 2003, just google it, it was built of the navy and AF for a joint program but was shelf'd so the each could design their own drone, and now back to this... only a few billion

Time to try it out on Romania. I love the BBC's description of Romania, "Romania, a slower developer than other former communist countries." perfect, they won't even notice. They're so behind... i wonder if they even have planes yet. Must be all those gypsies! LOL! Just in case you don't know what LOL means "divideatimpera" try using google if you understand what google is, hopefully they have that in Romania.

@whyManhattan

HA! You mean that computer-generated crap? You DO know that wasn't real footage, right? And it's not even good quality CG...I could tell it was fake 30 seconds into the vid even through the really bad compressed video. It's actually "target video"...meaning it's a pre-visualization of what they want it to do and what they think it'll look like. It's called "movie magic".

Unless you can find a link and show me real footage of an actual UAV landing autonomously (or even remotely piloted by a human pilot), then I call bull-sh*t.

Very, very scary technology...

Ivan Malagurski

It would be very easy for a computer to process the trajectory of the carrier with a decent GPS, and if there were sensors floating or mounted on the side of the carrier, it could calculate with great probability the pitch and roll of the carrier in the waves. This could all be done with no on deck lighting. The pitch and roll of the carrier make little difference on the landing procedure, it is mostly trajectory and velocities. The reason for the improved landing gear required for all Navel Aircraft is because a landing on a carrier is more closely described as a crash. The problem is, UAV/UCAV take all the fun out of flying and warfare.

Skynet, can you hear me?

Autoland on aircraft carriers (ACLS) is a routine operation and has been since the 80's. All carrier aircraft since the F-14 have had the capability.

Auto take-offs and landings in all but the most severe weather are a snap.

The real problem I foresee is taxiing around the flight deck, particularly in a really crappy sea-state rainy/windy night near the end of a cruise when non-skid is almost worn away. How will deck crew communicate very extremely precise taxi instructions to operators (below-decks?) when approaching the cats? Same for taxi after landing/unhook. How will deck crew manage runaway birds due to a slick deck?

Paradigm shift ahead.

Now all it needs to be a *real* military project is for Congress to cut the number ordered by 75%, having the per unit pricetag quadruple and then have the entire program canceled due to cost overruns.

That's how money is spent in Congress and the military. Twenty years of research costing fifty billion dollars resulting in few or no actual units produced for the taxpayer.

Just like the F-22.

Or the JSF.

It satisfies all of the requirements: Congress spends as much money as humanly possible accomplishing nothing and the contractor gets a 20 year R&D jobs program without actually having to build anything. Perfect.

Jets are fully capable of self-landing on the carrier, this thing would just use the same tech to land that we've used since the 80s. As for taxing around the flight-deck, just hook it up to a tug and tow it everywhere we need it to be. It would probably start it's turn once it's locked into the cat.

LOL...everyone talking about a UAV landing on a carrier like it's so easy, because so many of you have actually worked on the deck of one or have actually landed a jet on one, right?

rpenri, You are right. We will never have a UAV that can self-land on a carrier ever because it is impossible. In the same line, we will never have a self-driving automobile or self-assembly microchips. Any machine that is self-controlled is absolutely ridiculous because it is just simply impossible. You are so money on that. Why do we even worry about machines taking over the world from humans? It's simply impossible because they will never be able to self-land on a carrier. Demn, what a fool I was to believe that a computer can land a UAV on a carrier. Demn.

To repenri and fysician; i think your both right to a certain extent. I've worked on deck for 6 years on a navy carrier and landing a Jet craft on a carrier is THE hardest thing to do in the military... but saying that its imposible and a UAV will never be able to self-land on a carrier is just outragous. If we can send a drone 34.6 million miles to mars and have it land on the dime and within 3 miles of the landing zone... THAT by far is harder to do than landing on an aircraft carrier.. so who's to say we can't develope a UAV that can automously land on an aircraft carrier? Give it time and i garuntee you it will be done.. the technology is definitely out there.... just takes a lil R&D

@gillje03, fysician was using sarcasm. Carrier autolanding like a Mode 1 approach in an F18 is a done deal. Computers keep fly by wire aircraft flying so it is a natural evolution for the computer to replace more, and eventually all, of the pilot's function. Computers do not suffer fatigue like a human and can fly far beyond the limits of human endurance. It'll sure be a bummer to watch an airshow when there are no humans flying... wait till the Blue Angels are robots :(

rpenri, you need to be a little more specific, the Japanese H-60 has an auto (hands off) landing system for ship operations. Also, who said this thing was autonomous? Unmanned yes, but not necessarily autonomous. On a side note any routine operation with set parameters and goal a human can do, a computer can do better with more consistent performance. Not to put down our amazing pilots, the are the best in the world, but it's just the truth.

Okay, let me rephrase:

A UAV landing autonomously on a carrier would take more money and research dollars than the US cares to spend at the moment. At least, with the current technology in place.

AreYouKidding

You're right, for some reason, I made the mistake of thinking it was autonomous. A pilot controlling it from the carrier would in theory be able to land it via camera and other sensors embedded in the UAV. There would be little to no delay in commands from the pilot like there is for the Predator and Reaper drones which are linked via satellite to pilots somewhere in the US midwest. Delays in command and actually performing them would be a catastrophic flaw for doing something so dangerous and edge of your seat like landing on a carrier. One needs to make minute corrections to heading, speed and altitude almost instantaneously to put the aircraft on the correct glide path to successfully land on the carrier. And since a real pilot doesn't have to be on the aircraft, the most experienced pilots can remotely land different aircraft to avoid "rookies" crashing the UAVs due to inexperience or fright or whatever.

Okay, now that that is settled, what's next?

@rpenri, the Arinc company already developed and has completed testing of autonomous landing technology. It is current technology, using existing hardware, and is very successful.

Drones are great... until you're on the receiving end. Over 40 countries have drones. And many more have drones under rapid development...

if drones are such a good development why spend millions of dollars on conventional maned aircraft. sure at the moment then maned jets are essential because of quicker reaction times and more focus. but cant current aircraft stand up long enough to divert money to the UAV program?

@rpenri Re: "LOL...everyone talking about a UAV landing on a carrier like it's so easy, because so many of you have ever worked on the deck of one....."

To wit: Have you, oh wise and wonderful Swammi? Have you even ever worked on aircraft, let alone military grade airframes? Or do you just like spouting off about things you have ABSOLUTELY ZERO experience regarding. I've read a number of your postings and, for the life of me, I don't remember you mentioning your having so much as one iota of practical experience. Take me for example:

-5 years USAF heavy-lift helicopter maintenance
-3 1/2 years commercial aviation 747's, 727's, 737's, A310's & A320's
-5 years small engine and equipment maintenance
-10 years commercial truck & heavy/compact equipment maintenance
-17 years welding and fabrication
-currently working design plans for (among other things) new type of tow truck without hydraulics

I've got an idea, let's save the techno recriminations for those who have the background to back up thier opinions, 'kay?

The rise of drones are a boon to a society the kinda cherishes human life, it cuts down on the need for frontline soldiers and pilots so it puts many people out of harms way.

Another nail in the coffin for the JSF

This X-47B is actually the first unmanned aircraft to have the capability to land on a carrier without the aid of a pilot. That is one of the main reasons why it is so revolutionary.

Big dill pickle... a copy of Hitler's Stealth fighter - Horten 229.