Robot Combat Aircraft Update

Posted 1 Apr 2005 at 16:46 UTC by steve

The Swirling Brain sent us a couple of new stories on military UAVs. The first, a Tech Central Station article, provides a general overview of why the military is so interested in unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) and has links to the latest developments. Among other things it points out that 80% of the useful life of modern manned miltary aircraft is devoted to pilot training rather than fighting. Meanwhile, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article says that Boeing is combining their UCAV program with their traditional weapons programs. At Boeing, robots are no longer considered as unusual, just another part of standard military hardware.