This is the amazing Lockheed Martin SR-72—the space Blackbird

not from what i'm reading on air force times aviation weekly and usaf news cast

reply to post by chrismg


They have had a serious problem with UAV pilots. I don't have the links handy but it's been a real problem.

reply to post by Zaphod58


i understand they want to have a safer future for the pilots but a fighter or bomber uav will never have the same skill as an in cockpit pilot. not by just staring at a video screen but knowing what to do in the battlefield. i believe they should be only for reconnaissance or close in field surveillance thats it.

reply to post by chrismg


We're a long way from a true bomber UAV, and even farther from a fighter version. I'm watching the technology and the progression is interesting, but I understand your point too.

reply to post by Zaphod58


ok but why now does the usn need a carrier capable uav?

reply to post by chrismg


Because right now if one of our asked says they can't fly a UAV from their territory, or there are no allies around the navy has zero ISR coverage.

ok but as i said earlier they shouldn't be used for battle like the reaper or global hawk are.

reply to post by chrismg


Global Hawk isn't.

i saw a video of its trials on youtube and they clearly said global hawk

reply to post by chrismg


Global Hawk has never been armed and isn't capable of being armed.

it isn't that hard to accomplish

reply to post by chrismg


Have you looked at Global Hawk? It is not designed to carry weapons and never will. And yes it is that hard to do when you have an aircraft designed for a completely different mission.

ya i've seen it many time even a couple of times at airshows. it is possible enhance the wing structure to add pylons and it could easily carry light AGM's or even AAM's

reply to post by chrismg


And add fire control, and target designators, and everything else, and suddenly have an airplane that can't fly. Hell why not add them to a U-2 for that matter.

It would require a total redesign as well as completely negating the purpose of them.

just to enlarge it slightly they are still manufacturing these and could enlarge for such projects

reply to post by chrismg


You have no idea what's involved on that. You don't "just enlarge" an aircraft. It's built for a specific mission, which mass everything is geared towards that mission. You don't just say you're going to add missiles one day, make a couple minor changes, and *poof* you have missiles.

It would need a new wing, which means more weight, new landing gear for pylon clearance, more weight, wiring for the pylons, weight, laser designator, weight, new engine, weight.

All that means less fuel, so you get less loiter time, less altitude because of the weight, so higher fuel burn, so less range...

no no no i understand what your saying but it has been done not in a uav but it has i don't remember which aircraft it was to i seen it once somewhere.

reply to post by chrismg


Of course it has, on aircraft that were planned to be modified from the start, or were redesigned later into a different aircraft. Global Hawk will never carry a weapon on board.

ok ok ok what are all the new studies of upcoming new aircraft? the chinese j-31 i read about the reintroduction of the russian su-t-4, and the new cheaper aircraft to succeed the f-22, and what happened to the pak fa t-50?

reply to post by chrismg


It's in flight testing.