The CyberQuad, an "electric ducted quadrotor Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)," gains significant maneuverability from its fan-based technology, including a "perch and stare" function which allows it to hover in one place with increased stability and endurance. That is, until it's attacked by flying extraterrestrial fauna.

Last month, on our own planet, the CyberQuad successfully investigated an oil platform fire, beaming high-definition video back to operators stationed at a safer location. Still, its silent fans, as well as its unique "perch and stare" capabilities, suggest it could be put to use on our own battlefields in the near future. [Cyber Technologies via Wired]

The software, as far as I can tell, is a simple data-leeching utility. With a satellite dish and a few parameters (Packet IDs and transponder codes, which you can evidently scan for) you can tap into downstream data feeds, and essentially recording whatever data is transmitted to (specific) other users on a satellite network. How the insurgents got the proper parameters for predator drone, I have no idea—but apparently it's not that hard. Says a senior defense official:

There did appear to be a vulnerability. There's been no harm done to troops or missions compromised as a result of it, but there's an issue that we can take care of and we're doing so.

If twelve-year-olds can encrypt their torrent downloads, I think it's a reasonably fair expectation for the US military to be able to encrypt mission-critical data transmissions, the insecurity of which could kill people. (Or, alternatively, the security of which ensures that that we can kill people. Someone's got to die, right? Right? Right.)

Also worrying: reports that the new Battleship iPhone app has, due to a small programming error, destroyed most of the Navy's pacific fleet.

At the time of posting, SkyGrabber's website is down. [WSJ]

The Air Force and Boeing achieved a directed-energy breakthrough with these tests. MATRIX—Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments—performance is especially noteworthy because it demonstrated unprecedented, ultra-precise and lethal acquisition, pointing and tracking at long ranges using relatively low laser power.

I'm sure that description would get Governor Tarkin wet, but if that weren't enough, Boeing—along with the Air Force and the Army—also tested the Laser Avenger, a kinetic-laser hybrid weapon that fires a high power ray coupled with a 25mm machine gun.

Obviously, the kids in the funny uniforms are happy with their new toys, but I would like to see if they can do the same with a small thermal exhaust port only two meters wide. [Boeing via PopSci]

As many IEDs, improvised explosive devices, are set off using a wireless signal, these drones will be able to survey areas for the electromagnetic emissions associated with receivers and provide an early warning to soldiers. No matter how silly the codename, this is one important project and I hope that it gets put into use as soon as possible. [Aviation Week via Pop Sci]

Sorry, it's inevitable, as proven in the ThinkGeek demo video below.

ThinkGeek is billing this as the smallest hovering device they've ever sold, so there's that too. Requires a handful of AA's and the controller has the ability to control two drones at once. [ThinkGeek via DVICE]

Apparently the pilots of an unmanned, but armed, MQ-9 Reaper drone lost control of the UAV a few days ago. The resulting manned mission to take it down was mounted almost immediately and ended successfully before the drone reached the edges of Afghanistan's airspace.

I wonder what would've happened if the Reaper hadn't been shot down. It is typically used for "hunter-killer" missions and targets enemies on the ground. Would it continue a mission like that without operator input?

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like the Reaper are supposed to be programmed to return to their home bases in case they lose contact with their pilots. There's no explanation as to why the fail-safe didn't kick in for this particular Reaper. Nor is this incident the first time that a UAV has been shot down by intentional friendly fire. What's going on and when can I start to panic? [Aviation Weekly via Popular Science]

The image above comes from Aeronvironment, and shows what it wants the prototype in the video below to ultimately look like. DARPA's goal is to have a 10 gram aircraft with a 7.5-centimetre wingspan. They want it to get into tight hiding spaces and send back GPS and image data.

Aeronvironment's progress is also notable because such robots previously couldn't carry their own batteries, and had to use guide wires.

"It is capable of climbing and descending vertically, flying sideways left and right, as well as forward and backward, under remote control," says the company.

[New Scientist]

Surprising no one, the Phantom Menace Ray parent program (X45-C) is funded entirely by DARPA to the tune of $942 million.

The Ray is designed to do a number of things all by its lonesome, including bombing runs, surveillance and autonomous mid-air refueling. Top speed? 0.85 Mach. Ceiling is 40,000 feet. It can carry 4,500-lbs., which hopefully does not include any chips on its shoulder for its human designers. Unless Jessica Biel is involved. Then by all means go to town. [Boeing, Image]

The X6 is a spy drone with wireless video and still cameras (in hi-def, infra-red and 0 lux flavors) that can fly autonomously, or as a remote-controlled bot. It has 11 sensors (including gyros, accelerometers, barometers, magnetometers and GPS) and is so easy to pilot, a Wii gamer could do it. Now it will be used by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Saskatoon Police to patrol crime scenes and help gather evidence.

At it's core, this is the same Draganflyer X6 we've come to know and love in the past, but now with a shiny police badge and a healthy distaste for crime. Canadian perps, be afraid. Be very, very afraid. [Draganfly]

We know we have the capability, but we've never had the opportunity to use it before.

Those are the words of Corporal Phillip Cheng, who—together with Staff Sergeant Jerry Rhoades and Specialist James Pegg—controlled the robot to engage the enemy, fire ze missiles, and "neutralized both targets." This probably means that professional pilots are going to be out of the game, with plain soldiers having full control over infantry's aerial support. That's pretty cool.

And with "cool" I mean "we are fucked" the same way that "neutralized" means "killed." [Multinational Force via Wired]

This is one serious UAV, one that puts most others to shame. Just look at these specs:

With a payload of 318kg (700lb) per single 31km (57nm) radius sortie, each Mule will be capable of delivering about 3,180kg over 24h, including the ferrying on return trips of casualties where medevac flights are needed. Mule's maximum operating altitude is 12,000ft (3,660m).

[FlightGlobal]

M&S did not identify an alternative shift schedule which would result in improved work effectiveness over that predicted for the current schedule [...] the root problem for this population was not the shift system features themselves, but rather a lack of adequate manpower to provide sufficient recovery opportunities.

Simply put: they don't have any idea about why this is happening. To begin with, these pilots work from the comfort of a chair in their home bases—with no real dangers beyond a few extra pounds and evil hemorrhoids. Just like bloggers.

Unlike "real" fighter or bomber pilots, however, these crews fly the Predators using computer stations that offer them a virtual view of the Predator is seeing, as well as all the on-board instrumentation. In a way, it's like any flight simulator user, except that the images, data and target are real, as well as the payloads.

It even sounds relaxing and fun, but some time ago the Pentagon ordered a study about the health of these elite office chair pilots and found that they were indeed the most fatigued of the military flight crews. As a result, they put a plan into action to help ease their situation: the flight crews got better schedules and one extra day off to enjoy.

However, even after these measures, the new study has found that they still sleep badly and the situation is exactly the same: "nearly 50% of surveyed crewmembers met the diagnostic threshold for levels of daily sleepiness which can be expected to adversely impact job performance and safety."

Quite frankly, I find hard to image how a Predator pilot could be more fatigued than a fighter pilot doing combat missions from an aircraft carrier, but who knows, maybe the aviator eyeglasses give these special powers, while making ground crews look like a moron like me. [Navy Study (PDF) via The Dew Line]

Contrary to our previous report, the Micro Air Vehicle is still pending FAA testing but "is expected to make its debut soon in the skies over the Florida Everglades."

Honeywell's MAVs, which are now being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, are not the only ones waiting for FAA permission. There are dozen of companies making all kinds of spy drones now, among them Cyber Defense Systems, which has a kite-sized surveillance drone that has been already flown once by the police in Palm Bay, also in Florida. [Reuters]