UAV

US aerospace colossus Boeing has revealed plans for its unmanned whisper-mode stealth helicopter, the A160T, to return to flight following a recent crash. The revolutionary, groundbreaking aircraft (cough) pranged itself during test flights last year, but Boeing believes that the software problems leading to the crash have been rectified.

Although currently only a design proposal, the prospects of seeing a fly by wire drone seem to be nearing completion. The X-47Bis a sophisticated radio-controlled jet, that can be flying off aircraft carriers as early as next year. Besides calling the beast a "manhunter," the company plans to equip the unmanned plane with air-to-air missiles, laser and microwave firepower (called "directed energy and rechargeable weapons") that can take out enemy missiles.

A six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time. That's the Army's concept, and it has awarded the University of Michigan College of Engineering a five-year, $10-million grant to help make it happen. The grant establishes the U-M Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology, called COM-BAT for short. The grant includes an option to renew for an additional five years and $12.5 million.

Researchers at Oklahoma State University are working with DARPA to deliver a sophisticated, unmanned aircraft small enough to fit into a soldier's pocket, reports the Daily O'Collegian

Monster Pentagon contractors Boeing and SAIC jointly announced today that two of their latest offerings for the future robot armies of America have entered military testing early. The machines in question are a relatively dull lightweight groundcrawler job and a frankly splendid ducted-fan flying Dalek.

This article first appeared in Aviation Week's DTI. Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are effective battlefield surveillance platforms. But they suffer from limited battery power, which affects their range and their sensors' effectiveness, often making them expendable. A solution may lie in overhead power lines. A program by Defense Research Associates (DRA) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) seeks to develop a small UAV that can land on a power line and recharge its battery by drawing energy from the cable.

Last month, there was a vigorous debate over a radical, and I believe ultimately misguided, proposal to disband the U.S. Air Force. The Army, however, seems to have its own solution: it's going to buy its own damned air force. Writing at Aviation Week's Ares blog, Bill Sweetman reports on Army plans to buy 540 armed drones:

The U.S. Air Force believes that its next generation fighter will not have a pilot on board. As is customary, development of the next generation fighter gets underway just as the latest ("fifth generation") F-22 is entering service. Thus, two years after the F-15 entered service in 1979, planning got under way to develop the F-22.

Researchers in England have developed their own flying saucer — and it might be going to work for the U.S. and British militaries. GFS Projects' unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can soar high in the air, hover, bank and fly over any terrain, making it ideal for military surveillance.

IXO's mission is to apply emerging technologies to significantly improve our defense capabilities over the full range of anticipated DoD missions, from 1. influencing potential adversary actions to avoid conflict to 2. shaping the battlespace before conflict to 3. improving the effectiveness of major combat operations to 4. providing force multipliers for post-conflict reconstruction and stability operations.