Aw, come ON, Britain!

[cpwill]

the way to unveil this kind of stuff is when the reporters ask you how it was that you managed to hit (past tense) Iran's nuclear facilities with no warning. opsec anyone? :mrgreen:



cool bird:


Taranis: The £143million unmanned stealth jet that will hit targets in another continent

Looming ominously like a space ship from Star Wars, this is the future of unmanned flight.

Defence firm BAE Systems today officially unveiled its first ever high-tech unmanned stealth jet.

The Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, is about the same size as a Hawk jet and is equipped with stealth equipment and an 'autonomous' artificial intelligence system.

...Almost invisible to ground radar, it is designed to travel at high jet speeds and cover massive distances between continents.

The plane is built to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on enemy territory using onboard sensors.

And it has been designed to carry a cache of weapons - including bombs and missiles -, giving it a potential long-range strike capability.

It can be controlled from anywhere in the world with satellite communications.

Experts say the cutting-edge design is at the forefront of world technology and as advanced as any US development...

 

[cpwill]

for those of you who might worry about that artificial intelligence thing; don't.

this sort of thing never turns out badly

 

[Laila]

What a waste of money.

 

[rathi]

I would consider this UAV to have some purpose. Flying to a pre-set location bombing it and flying back is the kind of "autonomous" capability that is doable and useful. According to wikipedia, the maximum takeoff weight is 18000 lbs, which seems a bit small for a ultra long range strategic bomber. Pinpoint airstrikes are a useful tool in the political conflicts fought today, and the extreme range is handy when trying to avoid ruffling feathers with regards to airspace rights. The cost is quite reasonable for a working prototype, and hopefully could replace some of the absurdly money pits like the B2.

 

[Manc Skipper]

The UK has published no plan to hit Iranian facilities.

 

[kaya'08]

God knows by how much UFO sightings shot up by when they tested this thing.
I mean look at it.
I could have sworn they ripped that out of Independance Day or something.

Anyway, we are in a huge financial crises. What idiot ordered this thing be built?

 

[Red_Dave]

the way to unveil this kind of stuff is when the reporters ask you how it was that you managed to hit (past tense) Iran's nuclear facilities with no warning. opsec anyone? :mrgreen:



cool bird:


Taranis: The £143million unmanned stealth jet that will hit targets in another continent

Looming ominously like a space ship from Star Wars, this is the future of unmanned flight.

Defence firm BAE Systems today officially unveiled its first ever high-tech unmanned stealth jet.

The Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, is about the same size as a Hawk jet and is equipped with stealth equipment and an 'autonomous' artificial intelligence system.

...Almost invisible to ground radar, it is designed to travel at high jet speeds and cover massive distances between continents.

The plane is built to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on enemy territory using onboard sensors.

And it has been designed to carry a cache of weapons - including bombs and missiles -, giving it a potential long-range strike capability.

It can be controlled from anywhere in the world with satellite communications.

Experts say the cutting-edge design is at the forefront of world technology and as advanced as any US development...

I wonder which foreign autocracy we will regret selling these to

 

[Goshin]

God knows by how much UFO sightings shot up by when they tested this thing.
I mean look at it.
I could have sworn they ripped that out of Independance Day or something.

Anyway, we are in a huge financial crises. What idiot ordered this thing be built?

Far cheaper than a manned bomber. Easier on the pilot if it gets shot down too.

Why so much resistance to enhancing your defence capabilities? UK could probably use a bit more techno-oomph in its military might.

At any rate, the project was probably authorized and budget apportioned ten years ago; canceling it and then restarting it a few years later when you decided "hey, we really NEED one of those" would cost more than finishing the project as it stood.