Boeing UAV May Deliver Cargo For Marines

[tomgoodman]

Hey, where's my other leg?

The 'beam from here to there' idea from Star Trek is being worked on right now. Aircraft will be obsolete when they get that figured out.

The disintegration and beaming technology is proceeding nicely, but they are having trouble with the passenger re-assembly phase.

 

[Cometman]

The disintegration and beaming technology is proceeding nicely, but they are having trouble with the passenger re-assembly phase.

Several Police Departments including LA and Miami Dade County are planning to use UAV's. I am sure it will take time for the actual helicopter to disappear but eventually it will. Maybe not in my life time which is probably not far away.

 

[capt_zman]

I'm sure there might be a security issue or two on UAV's transporting cargo and/or people. I'm sure the terrorists would love to see a bunch of unmanned airplanes flying the skies, easy pickings.

 

[Arkady]

I can see it now...

Sometime in the not so distant future - the day will come when the big computer in charge of managing an automated super-duper jumbo-combi is caught flat-footed, while monitoring the FMS & Autopilot computers and is heard saying (over it's sat-com datalink) "Oh jeezus, what's it doing now?"

And somewhere, the ghosts of a million pilots will bust out laughing.

 

[avbug]

I don't think there's any danger of the police helicopter disappearing any time soon. While a UAV can provide some limited service with respect to surveillance, there's a lot it can't do, and even using one for surveillance misses a lot. having a manned crew on board is essential to a law enforcement (and most other) mission(s).

I've seen a distinct lack of ability on the part of the UAV...and I mean the high dollar, best we've got. Their ability to hold a simple altitude has been les than impressive, and there's a lot they miss when performing a routine surveillance mission. When they're working, they work great, but I've seen the results of losing link, or losing control, and I've seen people nearly killed as a result. I'm not impressed in the least.

What is really the point of having a UAV that carries people...making it once again a manned vehicle? Remotely piloting an aircraft sounds wonderful...but if the concept is to eliminate the pilot but leave living, breathing personnel in back...then it's a wasted concept.

Some would suggest that while presently many autopilot or autoflight systems can do better than the pilot in most respects, the autopilot exists to serve the pilot. Likewise, even in a position of automation conducting the flight, such as a remotely piloted vehicle might entail, if nothing else a pilot on board is nearly essential to back up the automation.

I've seen UAV's miss a LOT in an operational environment. The operator is looking through a toilet-paper tube when it comes to seeing the environment below the aircraft, whereas a pilot and crew will be seeing a lot more. A UAV doing a route search, for example, can easily miss an explosion along that very route unless it's looking right at the point of the explosion. A pilot flying a live person operating the sensor package won't miss it because the pilot sees more, uses his periphery, and can look around.

Likewise, a crew on a cargo aircraft has an opportunity to do more with the aircraft. Automation is often used during an inflight emergency, but it's the automation that simply performs basic control tasks while the crew handles the complexities of configuring the aircraft and making the judgement calls necessary to address the problems at hand (both short term, and long term). This really does need a person on the spot, rather than a remote piloting situation. Further, with the demonstrated inability to even hold an altitude, present UAV's offer little more than a hazard to other air traffic. No thanks.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

CAN UAV's replace piloted planes. Absolutely.
WILL it happen. Absolutely.

The tricky part is when and in what capacity. It is difficult to predict what technological or cost barrier would be broken by any number of startups or an existing tech to be implemented in a novel fashion.

The A160 Humingbird would be a PERFECT news helo that can stay on station for 20 hr instead of 1-2 hr with the present equipment. Just one standoff with the Feds will demonstrate this.

Cargo is the obvious place to try out a new system. There is already pilot optional Caravans in Iraq and more than one company is researching unmanned heavy cargo craft and conversions (B747 C-5) for trans-pacific routes.

A smart path for any UAV company would be to perfect the technologies with the military first.

 

[freightdawg]

Don Newman, director of unmanned systems for Raytheon Co. in Tucson, predicts cargo companies such as UPS and FedEx eventually will use unmanned aircraft.
"Think of the money they could save, if they didn't have to have pilots flying their planes," he said.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2008/05/18/20080518biz-uav0518.html

One day soon, delivery companies such as UPS or FedEx could employ unmanned robotic flyers to deliver priority mail. Large-scale farming could be revolutionized by UAVs, which would monitor crop areas and tell farmers when to harvest. UAVs equipped with aerial cameras could also be used for moviemaking, television news and sports reporting.

QUOTE]

Right, just after I get my garage modified 'cause I won't need a car what with the 'flying machine' in each and every garage.

 

[skyslug]

they never will replace all piloted planes. Some, sure but not all and NOT with passengers. I even highly doubt they will replace cargo planes.

 

[john cocktosen]

I think UAV Technology has its place in a war enviroment. But I don't think they will ever fly passengers or integrate into the US Airspace system.

 

[Beaver79]

I don't dispute that at all. It will definitely happen some day. It is just MHO that it will won't become a reality in the next 30-40 years.

The military has plans for unmanned airlift by 2030....It is definitely in the realm of possibility.