AFRL completes first flight of the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie, an unmanned aircraft with 3,000 n.m. range to demonstrate the loyal wingman concept.
XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator completes inaugural flight
Andrew Morris
Joshua Butler
Looks like Erusea MQ-99s
Daniel Rivera
>XQ-58A is the first example of a class of UAV that is defined by low procurement and operating costs while providing game changing combat capability,” said Doug Szczublewski, AFRL’s XQ-58A Program Manager.
Seems like a decent addition to the unmaned uav fleet
Jace Rivera
Looks cute!!
Anthony Torres
>attritable
>attritionable
We have now reached the point where people need to invent a new term to indicate that an aircraft is not, in fact, too expensive to use in combat.
Because otherwise, that's just assumed.
Logan Moore
This is literally the plot of AC7 but with less cute brown tomboy.
Asher Wright
Now lets see it armed and teamed up with an F-35.
Jeremiah Hughes
It's a prototype for the "wingman" drones that keep being shown in F-35 concept videos.
Hunter Powell
>tfw no cute brown tomboy gf with an F-104
the fucked up leg makes her easier to pin and fuck
Isaac Foster
Wow, welcome to the 90s Kratos
Elijah Reed
USA USA USA
Juan Rivera
Are they really going to try and have the pilot control these? I figured it would be information overload.
Alexander Lopez
Soon. Just got to find a turbo autist newtype to put in the cockpit.
Jonathan Sanchez
Pretty sure the program is meant to have the pilot be "lead controller" which basically just means that they'll give them a job to do and watch from afar
Hudson Harris
We funnel now??
Julian Gutierrez
Looks like the Barracuda
Lincoln Cook
Ace Combat is soon becoming reality.
Ryan Brooks
The wingman meme is only how they get the fighter mafia to accept it, user.
Fifth generation data fusion is 80% of the way to full autonomy, and the drones have autopiloting, auto-maneuvering, and basic tactics (although they aren't advanced enough for autonomy).
Basic autonomy was tested in the early 00s. Once unmanned turbine aircraft are procured, and not flown by remote, then it's mostly a matter of waiting for the first solely-drone-career officers to hit O5 (still a few years) and start advocating.
Lucas Flores
Can't fucking wait until the fighter jockeys get cucked and told to fly cargo planes for the rest of their careers
Levi Jones
Wanting a human in the loop isn't a product of the fighter mafia.
Jack Rivera
Looks like a copy of a Chinese black project.
Carter White
>Mfw black ops 2 will be real
Julian Robinson
Yes, but wanting that human to be piloting an F22 with drones as "wingmen", rather than riding in an E-3, really is.
Christian Thompson
It doesn't take a pilot ego to believe in dumb shit like that, anyone can do it. And it's a great excuse pacify the haters while real engineers iron out the hardware and software for skynet. AI can do track recognition good enough for near-peer, but it's not quite ready for COIN.
Samuel Baker
Wanting that human in the cockpit certainly is.
Carter Flores
If it’s not the a-29 or new production f22s don’t fund it
Thomas Wright
Impressive.
With this most recent achievement, fate has in a single stroke, marked the decline of China and spelled a new era of wondrous prosperity and peaceful global dominance for the American eagle, which promises to firmly stand in sharp contrast to the historically bloody ascent of eastern powers and the cruel subjugation it brought to the humbler nations of the world. With the blessings of American quantum direct-current electricity, quantum aircraft carriers and quantum enhanced railguns will be the instruments with which America affirms its noble stewardship of 21st century world politics and offers the western world a different option; an humanist alternative to the depredations of Chinese leadership and the opportunity for a more equitable and dignified multilateralism
Jordan Smith
>90's
Fug, you mean Boeing has been screwing up their UCAV for nearly 25-30 years?
Nathaniel Ross
But bigger.
Barracuda could only carry 300kg, externally, this thing is supposedly 4 SDB-II's internally.
Alexander Reyes
>new choppers
>cool new fighterdrone
>M1A2D
>B21
holy shit, we're finally getting new shit
Dominic Collins
Still held down by gravity, but soon.
Charles Thompson
Looks like UCAV wingman concept is the future.
Jacob Smith
...
Brayden Williams
How can China compete when America is equipped with superior Belkan technology?
Eli Wilson
Belka was a mistake
Hunter Flores
Luke Nguyen
you can thank god-emperah trump for budget boost
Jonathan Richardson
F-22s are magnificent machines. However they destroyed all production tooling for them. The costs to rebuild an entire line with new tooling is too expensive for now. I wouldn't expect to see new Raptors at all. Unless a big conflict breaks out. But at that point Lockheeds F-35 production lines would be so streamlined we could keep them shitting out good 5th gen fighters faster and cheaper than anyone else on the planet.
Asher Taylor
oh look the chinks copied some thing... again
Lucas Gray
It was a smart decision to make the drones use autonomous AI instead of radio control. Smart, and forward thinking.
Leo Cooper
When’s the Arsenal Bird?
Nathan Powell
IMO the drone maker guy was cooler and a better story teller.
Cameron Rogers
more like skynet
Lincoln Adams
Realistically, that's the only way they'll ever work in the future. If fucking Iran can hijack a radio controlled drone, then China or Russia certainly can too.
Samuel Cruz
He drones aren't controlled by a central computer. They take orders from their wingman. No rouge AI is going to be assuming control of our drones.
Hudson Phillips
Well what you can now do, is fuck up the IFF systems so you turn an invading air force into a melee of drone vs. drone vs. pilots vs. SAM assets, and you can do this with maybe $10,000 max worth of equipment.
Christian Barnes
Adrian Reyes
looks like the Barracuda
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