Lockheed Martin announces "centralized controller" for UAVs
By Cyrus Farivar 
posted Dec 13th 2006 2:26AM
posted Dec 13th 2006 2:26AM
Lockheed Martin has just completed testing a new "centralized controller device for unmanned air and ground vehicles." This new gadget can guide up to four systems, be they UAVs or UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles). Using a touchscreen laptop and a "hand controller" (we'll assume that's a joystick), the company was able to test landing and launching UAVs and UGVs of all sizes. Of course, once this is integrated with Raytheon's five-monitor UAV setup (ha, that'll be the day), Lockheed Martin could probably devote one unmanned vehicle per monitor, and have one to spare for reading Engadget.[Via Gizmag]
Is it called SkyNet? It is, isn't it.
once they equip them with lasers....
Integrate this with the "Machine Readable News" item a couple of articles down, and we can go back to watching Simpspons reruns while our foreign policy is completely automated.
When are they going to get around to making these things fully autonomous? For cryin' out loud, this is 2006, we shouldn't have to pull a trigger to kill someone anymore.
On a serious note. I'm taking reservations for the move to NASA's moon base the day these do become fully autonomous.
Most of it is already automated... no pilot flying the global hawk. the operator can make changes to the mission, but the mission is preprogrammed and executed auto. given that they've lost UAVs by people fat fingering mission specs, I'm ok with a lack of 'automation' in the weapons systems :)
Dylan Neild, you are the man for the SkyNet reference.
UAVs already come armed. can hold up to...i think it was four air to ground missiles.
The aircraft in the picture is the Predator B...it can hold 8 hellfire missiles.
whoooyaaa
hmm...you posted a pic of the Predator B, of General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems (leading competitor of LM in the UAV market).