Gizmodo: unmanned aircraft

Secret US Military UFO Looks Manned

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT

Looks like the US military UFO that was spotted over Afghanistan—which is not the Phantom Ray—may not be an unmanned aircraft after all. At least, that is what airplane expert Stephen Trimble thinks:

"I could be crazy, but I think I see a bubble canopy on this aircraft, which would seem to rule out the "UCAV" theory! The plot thickens..."

There's no record of any plane with this shape and a canopy in the US military arsenal. [The Dew Line]

UFO Sighted Over Afghanistan Is US Secret Airplane

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:40:00 EDT

Looks like the US military has a new secret aircraft. Either that or the Nazis are taking over the world again, because according to other photos this looks like the Luftwaffe's Go229 Flying Wing:

This an artist rendering based on (not so) classified and unpublished photos obtained by UVonline.com reporter Darren Lake. The photo of the unidentified flying object—which apparently is a mystery unmanned aircraft nobody has ever heard off—was taken in Kandahar in 2007, but has been published now by a french magazine. [Air-Cosmos and UVonline via Flight Global]

Update: It's not a Phantom Ray. Look at the drawing. That UCAV prototype has been approved no for ten new flight, but it was in storage before that. This is a new plane.

Chinese UFO Looks Like Emergency Life Raft, Spies on You

AddyDugdale — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:10:00 EDT

Chinese company Harbin Smart Special Aerocraft has spent 12 years and over $4 million developing its unmanned flying saucers. Somewhat reminiscent of the Honeywell Micro Air Vehicle, the unmanned drone has propellers that run on methanol, a top speed of around 50mph, and can stay at an altitude of around 1,000 yards up for 40 minutes or so. Expect to see it being used for aerial photography, geological surveys and in people's LSD-fueled weird-outs. [DVICE]

High Tech Cockpit Controls Unmanned Aircraft

Louis Ramirez — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:50:47 EST

It may look like the ultimate gaming rig, but Raytheon's Universal Control System (UCS) is actually a high tech cockpit for real pilots. It sits them in front of a wrap-around display that makes them feel like running a real plane is just another day of Microsoft Flight Sim. The cockpit gives you the option of sitting or standing and can be used to operate more than one unmanned vehicle at a time. – Louis Ramirez

Revolutionary New Cockpit for UAVs [via GizMag]

Standard Shipping, Two-Day Shipping, Drone Shipping

Noah R — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:03:22 EDT

The military's billion dollar flying robots could be used for tracking UPS and FedEx packages. That's the word from Darpa's program director for Joint-Unmanned Combat Air Systems (speaking at the DarpaTech 2005 Conference). He says the unmanned, and unarmed, aircraft are outfitted with software and ground systems that have a number of potential commercial applications. Such as inspecting power lines and, well, for when you absolutely, positively have to get it there overnight.

"Special Delivery," For Sure [Defense Tech]