Uninhabited and Unafraid, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UCAV, UAV, and Drone Aircraft)

[elmayerle]

Like this? 

Close enough.  There's quite a lot of euqipment that could go where the pilot and ejection seat were fitted.  Keep the eection seat rails and make the equipment pallets modular.

[ChernayaAkula]

That's not far from reality at all. I think it was AFM that had a small snippet (years ago, though) about how LockMart was awarded a big contract for feasibility studies of an unmanned JSF.

Some Googlin' came up with THIS WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE.

Lockheed Martin Corp. has proposed an unmanned version of its Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35, <...>
<Lockheed Vice President Frank Mauro> provided few details but said the plane could be built as an interchangeable hybrid -- manned by a pilot for some missions and operated remotely for others.

Actually, isn't that what they do with the QF-4 Phantom drones? AFAIK, those can be flown by a pilot in the plane as well as a pilot in a trailer/cubicle.

[rickshaw]

You are aware of the 1/48 scale resin kit Rickshaw ?

http://www.a2zeemodels.co.uk/gaf-jindivik-mk-3--4-4476-p.asp

Yes, as I am the 1/72 Hiplanes one.  I'm interested in trying to do a 1/144 scale one or two. 

[rickshaw]

The article also gives drawings for the Pika if you are interested.
Highplanes do/did both the Jindivik and the Pika in 1/72, and Final Touch did the Mk2 Jindivik in 1/72 in resin.
The Highplanes Jindiviks have the launch trolley in white metal.

jim

Thank'ee very muchly.  That'll do nicely indeed. Yes, I'm aware of the Highplanes' model.  I'm interested in doing some 1/144 scale ones if possible.

If you could do the Pika as well, that'd be much appreciated.  My father took the first unofficial pictures of the Pika while it was still top secret when he was working at Woomera.  He got them published in the Adelaide Advertiser to great furore. 

[Stargazer]

On fulcrum's request...



More stuff will follow...

[andys]

Turning this topic completely on it's head, something here reminds me just ever so vaguely  of a cockpit:

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/02/19/338601/picture-germanys-first-heron-uav-emerges.html

[Stargazer]

Are you telling me that while I'm trying to get the cockpits out of the UCAVs, the industry actually ADDS fake cockpits to their UAVs?? 

[Cybermax]

I think there's an antenna under there.

[andys]

If I knew the first thing about Photoshop, (which I don't  ), I'd make it look like a cockpit, with Pilot Officer Prune waving at the camera   

[GTX]

Phantom Ray to ferry on back of NASA 747

July 20, 2010: Under a Boeing-funded Commercial Space Act Agreement with NASA, Boeing's Phantom Ray will be ferried from St. Louis to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., by a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. It is the first time something other than a space shuttle will be flown on the back of the modified Boeing 747.

Image credit: Boeing image
Neg. #: MSF10-0147-01



Regards,

Greg

[Jschmus]

I suppose by now everyone will have heard that Iran have unveiled a new long-range UCAV, the Karrar:

http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Iran-inaugurates-nation-s-first-unmanned-bomber-625354.php

Any thought on their latest "ambassador of death" (a direct quote from Ahmadinejad)?

[Fulcrum]

Awww, look: crazy dictator wants to join the what-if modelers group with his rendition of a V-1 ''Buzz Bomb".

Honestly, I think the Iranians should "whiff" a UCAV Fighter to give their other UAV creations some fighter cover/escort, last thing I heard, they are 0 to 3 in UAV fighter combat (2 to the Israeli A.F., 1 to the USAF over Iraq).

[dy031101]

Mig-21 UCAV, could be bought & used in large numbers without the need to train conscript pilots

I've often been told that the PRC held a lot of decommissioned aircraft in reserve; in times of large-scale war, those airframes could be deployed against domestic entities taking advantage of the ensuing chaos while units with modern weaponries would focus on external threats.

Now that I was reminded of this idea this morning and knowing that decommissioned J-7s were known to be converted into drones...... what says you about another possible PLA interpretation of the Reaper or Mantis?  Forget about fanboy notion of overwhelming a full-blown national air defense with drones or reserve jets flown by expendable patriotic martyrs- outfit those unmanned J-7s with tactical air-to-surface missiles or satellite-guided bombs for strikes against geographically-known terrorist hideouts or pre-targetted bandit vehicles (maybe not enough endurance to loiter and search for targets)...... or maybe as a faster and higher-flying (with respect to those as we know them) reconnaissance drone?

[ChernayaAkula]

Not an aerial vehicle, but uninhabited and unafraid nonetheless.

The Guardium G-4, developed by the Israeli firm G-NIUS (CLICKY!):







Can't help myself, but I think it looks like something straight out of "District 9". Wouldn't look out of place in MNU colours.

[GTX]

Yep, seen those before -



Would be interesting to see if they ever arm it.  Maybe a MG and an ATGW?

Regards,

Greg