Drones, the Air Littoral, and the Looming Irrelevance of the USAF

[Kirkhill]

And, conceivably, the answer to local drone superiority.

Champ: The missile that fries military technology and kills computers, but not people

An early demonstration of a Champ missile targeted a two-storey building, taking out its entire spectrum of electronic systems.

www.forces.net

 

[GR66]

DARPA - Human F16 vs AI F16

Pentagon takes AI dogfighting to next level in real-world flight tests against human F-16 pilot

Flight tests conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Agency, the U.S. Air Force and their industry partners have demonstrated safe and effective employment of an autonomous fighter jet, including in “nose-to-nose” dogfighting against a human F-16 pilot, according to officials.

defensescoop.com

Interesting but I wonder if applying AI to create a dog-fighting unmanned fighter is really the most useful application of the technology?

How much dog-fighting do we expect to take place in modern air combat? Yes I know the same argument was made leading up to Vietnam with the result being cannons added back into fighter designs, but sensors and missiles have advance a long way since then.

Wouldn't a better application of AI be in long range missiles that can be launched far outside the engagement window of the enemy platforms (even further out than 100% positive target identification can be confirmed) and the smart missiles confirm and maneuver toward the target?

 

[dimsum]

Interesting but I wonder if applying AI to create a dog-fighting unmanned fighter is really the most useful application of the technology?

How much dog-fighting do we expect to take place in modern air combat? Yes I know the same argument was made leading up to Vietnam with the result being cannons added back into fighter designs, but sensors and missiles have advance a long way since then.

Wouldn't a better application of AI be in long range missiles that can be launched far outside the engagement window of the enemy platforms (even further out than 100% positive target identification can be confirmed) and the smart missiles confirm and maneuver toward the target?

Until the platforms can evade the BVR missiles and close, therefore dog-fighting.

In the shorter term, I expect (if this hasn’t already happened) RPAS folks with USAF/USN Weapons Instructor quals.

 

[Kirkhill]

Interesting but I wonder if applying AI to create a dog-fighting unmanned fighter is really the most useful application of the technology?

How much dog-fighting do we expect to take place in modern air combat? Yes I know the same argument was made leading up to Vietnam with the result being cannons added back into fighter designs, but sensors and missiles have advance a long way since then.

Wouldn't a better application of AI be in long range missiles that can be launched far outside the engagement window of the enemy platforms (even further out than 100% positive target identification can be confirmed) and the smart missiles confirm and maneuver toward the target?

Until the platforms can evade the BVR missiles and close, therefore dog-fighting.

In the shorter term, I expect (if this hasn’t already happened) RPAS folks with USAF/USN Weapons Instructor quals.

Dogfighting Variant?

Tomahawks and Valkyries dodging Patriots and AMRAAMs?

 

[dimsum]

Dogfighting Variant?

Tomahawks and Valkyries dodging Patriots and AMRAAMs?

Probably not those, but I’d be shocked if the major NATO Class 3 UAS manufacturers aren’t considering it for their next-generation platforms…

 

[Kirkhill]

Move over FARA: General Atomics pitching new Gray Eagle version for armed scout mission - Breaking Defense

General Atomics will also showcase its Mojave demonstrator for the first time during the Army Aviation Association of America conference in Denver, a company spokesman said.

breakingdefense.com

General Atomics is positioning a future version of its MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drone as a potential alternative to the Army’s now-canceled Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft effort, the president of its aeronautics unit told Breaking Defense.

The California-based defense firm intends to pitch a short takeoff and landing version of the Gray Eagle — what it calls Gray Eagle STOL — to fulfill the armed scout mission now that the service has halted work on a manned helicopter and shifted the focus to drones.

“We’re trying to jump into that [opportunity],”

Add these?

RATO Booster Motors - Magellan Aerospace

Since 1962, Magellan Aerospace has successfully developed and introduced more than 20 solid propellant rocket motor types and produced over 10 million pounds of composite propellant. From our original booster motor, the CL-289 to the MQM-107 to today’s BQM-167, our product line has...

magellan.aero

Parachute Standard Supports a Safe Landing | ASTM Standardization News

It is a sobering reality for pilots and passengers alike that there are limits to what can be done to save an airplane experiencing difficulties during a flight. Over the years, this has led to the development of many different types of aircraft safety systems, including structural redundancies...

sn.astm.org

They work for the Kratos line.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Perun just did a good video on drones, UAV, FPV's

Perun’s videos thread

Instead of putting the weekly Perun ones in their own thread - and I only post the ones that really impressed me - I’ll start a thread for his videos. Mods: Could you put the previous Perun videos in here? This week, it’s a continuation of his excellent “how corruption destroys armies” video...

army.ca