UAVs, not just an Air Force gig anymore

FTFY

Fester, give me a heads up when the SupaHummer becomes self aware.

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk

And the unanswered question:

Would Ahnold have yelled "Get to the choppa!!" If it was a Firescout.

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk

For the moment it's still the least sailor-proof airplane I've ever seen, and I'll leave it at that.

I don't think I totally buy the "last manned fighter" hyperbole quite yet. As the economists say, anything that can't last forever, won't. The experience of fighting a UAV-heavy force vs an enemy with his EW shit in one sock could easily lead to a shift back toward manned aircraft, at least for weapons delivery. We keep forgetting that, at least in terms of air warfare, we haven't exactly been fighting the varsity lately. UAVs were a big part of the answer to our current wars; that doesn't mean they're the permanent answer forever. Our older Air Warriors no doubt remember when nukes were the only weapons we'd ever need.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I only saw the unicorn fly twice in Norfolk. I wonder if my old squadron (first fleet E-2D squadron) is actually going to fly at all after they turn in the C model at the end of the summer.

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk

We dropped a bunch of E-2D ground support sailors off at Holloman while we were NALOing back from El Centro to Krock. They had 4 of them on the line there- right next to the QF-4s. Coincidence?

No. Any more than that should be moved to SIPR.

As far as I know, the D Fleet intro is on schedule. St Aug is building them at a steady, albeit very slow, pace. And it's a more challenging transition for aircrew to make than, say, the GII to HE2K. Roughly analogous to going from a C Hornet to a Rhino.

Completely from scratch. D's have almost nothing in common with C's except the airframe and the ass-killing seats.

Which had seats recycled from the E-2B, which had them recycled from the S-2F.

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk

I don't know about the seats' lineage, just that the design's the same, mostly so they could use the same chutes/PSE across the fleet. Slightly different engines, same props (ugh). The airframe is the same basic design, but required some major changes to the internal structure due to the new equipment. I don't think it'd be physically possible to mod a C to a D.

I have a plasma cutter, a mill, lathe and a TIG welder. I can mod anything. You just may scream when I hand you the bill.

Kind of like my customer did yesterday.

No, I mean it'd be sort of like saying I don't want a new axe, just replace the head and the handle.

USN needs to go with the way many warbirds and classic cars are "restored".. Recycle the VIN tag, not much else, and BAM! You didn't buy a NEW plane, you upgraded it.

Pretty much what they did with the D. Started off as a radar replacement program, wound up as a new airplane.

It really is like the Hornet/Rhino...looks similar, same designation, totally new airplane.

And I will say, after flying it for a year, the D really can do what Grumman promises it can do. It has it's burps, but for a plane at this stage of development, it's surprisingly solid and reliable. I would feel comfortable taking one off the Boat to do operational flying. My only real gripe with it is, as I said, it's very not sailor-proof. But that's what OPEVAL is for.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

A Navy officer speaks with local media.
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (July 31, 2012) Rear Adm. Mathias Winter, program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, speaks with local media about the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) and other unmanned systems during a press conference. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Tristan Miller/Released)

^^^^ Seeing the Rear Admiral stadning in front of the X-47 really gives a sense of scale to it, that is a big aircraft.

Do the wings fold? How does the yellowshirt tell it where to go?

Either that, or he's really just very... (Sorry, that was a softball.)

Yes, that thing is ginormous. On an unrelated note, and not intended for a threadjack: I wonder how easy/difficult the handling this thing on the deck will be at the height of flight ops. I wouldn't want to be on the deck crew...after all, there's no pilot to blame if it hits something.

Except, of course, the handler.

Yes, the wings are designed to fold.

"Media had an opportunity to view the control display unit for the X-47B, which is used to guide the aircraft during aircraft carrier taxiing, during Unmanned Air Systems Media Day, July 31, at Patuxent River, Md."

I can see the mayhem that will ensue the first time two "drivers" get messed up on what plane is theirs.

Dude's rockin' the Power Glove!

Wonderin' what fate awaits the unlucky UCAS Controller/Aircraft 'Cruncher', who loses the first X-47B over the side, on a max rate turn into the wind... to recover a distressed aircraft? Probably nail the poor Plane Captain (0h wait, will they have a P/C for a UAV, no cockpit brake-rider?)... whole new shipboard ballgame!
*That dude with the Star Trek-like Phaser, looks like a young 'Blues Bros.' Bill Murray!
BzB

Should be interesting on the flight deck to say the least. I am sure they will baby step into operating these things. For example, have them pre-spotted on the cats for a launch cycle and then do a X-47 only launch cycle or lauch them early followed by the on-time cycle. I can't imagine the sha-smortion of a mixed unmanned and manned launch will be - ie- "Spin the UCAS off cat 3 and sideline him" when there is a daisy chain on the waist and a stack of baby hornets on fumes overhead. I am sure someone smarter than me has thought off all this stuff.
On another note, we operated a test aircraft (not the actual X-47) on Lincoln in the carrier pattern. It was pretty interesting, they had a touchscreen in primary where the Boss or Mini would give it commands, ie - Turn downwind, waveoff, etc. It was actually pretty cool for the video game nerd set to watch.