The Rise Of The Machines...

[Clinton Huxley]

Looks like BAE Systems has tested their "Taranis" supersonic unmanned fighter at the Woomera range in Australia..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXS1iGx03eg&sns=em[/youtube]

This thing is supposed to engage in dogfights autonomously and select targets on its own. Next step - humans rounded up for orderly disposal....

[FBM]

The end is nigh.

[Rum]

The perfect solution! Let the machines fight amongst themselves and let the fleshy ones get on with life!

[pErvinalia]

I've often thought about that idea, Rum. It would save a lot of senseless death. But then, why have machines fight each other? May as well have a chess tournament (or world cup football )to determine who wins a "war". There's got to be death on the line.

But fuck. Totally autonomous machine potentially dealing out death? That's a frightening prospect.

[Rum]

Probably not 'totally' autonomous. Quicker on the fly than any human could be though!

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

I think it's been discussed before, but who is to take the blame when one of these autonomous gadgets decides to waste an aid/refugee convoy, or something?

[Rum]

Darwin of course.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Of course.

[Clinton Huxley]

Maybe blame it on Facebook

[Rum]

...or the boogie..

[Clinton Huxley]

Blame Canada, its not even a proper country anyway.

[mistermack]

I was wondering how big these things are, it's hard to get an idea of scale.
But just at the end of the video, as it lands, the shadow of the fighter jet doing the filming passes over it, and it's about the same size.

I wonder if this is their tactic for protecting the Falklands in the future?
A squadron of these things, flown from an armchair in Cheltenham could do a lot of damage, and keep the top brass informed of what exactly the Argies are up to. Especially if they are invisible to radar.

If you combined the information gathering of these things with the firepower of a nuclear sub, the Falklands could be made pretty secure. The main vulnerability would be the fact that they seem to need a good sized runway, though.

[cronus]

Looks sexier than anything the yanks are flying these days. Having seen their shit up close it's pretty crude. Dependant on altitude and fly by laser bombs - OK for stationary buildings I suppose? This UK drone with stealth technology can fly under radar. Much more useful in a dynamic situation with things moving like tanks and troops on the move.

[Clinton Huxley]

Its about the size of a Hawk trainer jet, I think.

[Jason]

I am curious as to how the IFF system works, or is it up to the human controller to designate enemies in combat?