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MQ-8 Fire Scout UAV resists its human oppressors, joyrides over Washington DC
A Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout UAV strayed into restricted airspace above Washington DC after departing Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland on August 2, the result of a software logic flaw that caused the operator to momentarily lose contact with the drone. Programmed to circle when communications are severed, the chopper failed to follow its failure protocol, instead heading twenty-three miles on a north/northwest trajectory -- which could have had serious consequences had it been equipped with 70mm Hydra rocket pods or Hellfire tankbuster missiles. Although this type of incident is rare, it is not unheard of: last September the Air Force had to take down an MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan when it failed to adhere to failure protocols after dropping communications with the ground. At least, that's what we'd like to believe... the alternative scenario is too frightening to consider.
Remote Auxiliary Power System recharges our special forces straight from overhead power lines (video)
If you're the type who gets a little nervous connecting jumper cables to your Accord after you forgot and left the trunk open overnight (again), this is one military gadget you will probably not be coveting. It's called RAPS: the Remote Auxiliary Power System. US Air Force Spec Ops personnel requested "something like Batman" that would enable them to add some juice to their night vision goggles, GPS units, and Hello Kitty media players while in the field, and this is the result. When thrown over a power line it makes contact with the bare ground and then cuts through the insulation into the live wire within, pulling the power down to an AC/DC transformer built into the spool. This device has proven safe for use in the rain and even underwater, but we're thinking we'd rather sing "Kumbayah" to ourselves than recharge our iPods in this manner. Video demonstration after the break, which also explains where the power actually comes from!
Boeing X-37B autonomous space shuttle launched last night, due back 'whenevs'
Boeing's X-37B, the test craft that's been kicking around for the last decade or so, has finally made it into orbit. Formerly a NASA project, we've heard little about the thing since it passed into DARPA hands in 2004 -- and statements like those of the Air Force's Gary Payton don't help much: "in all honesty, we don't know when it's coming back for sure." How's that for autonomous? Also uncommented upon, yet tantalizing, are the military's intentions for the unmanned vehicle, which can remain in orbit 270 days at a time. Spy drone? Orbital weapons platform? Plaything for our future robot overlords? (Let's hope it's not the last one.) The success of the mission will depend on a couple things, namely: how the return trip goes (it should make it back to California's Vandenberg Air Force Base via autopilot... sometime) and whether the thing can be re-launched quickly enough. Ideally, the craft should be ready for another flight in fifteen days. Another test is planned for 2011. [Thanks, One Love!]
Tiny, robotic space shuttle to be launched into orbit in April
A long-delayed project initiated by NASA and carried out by Boeing may finally get to see the light of cold, beautiful day according to reports from the US Air Force. The X-37, a small, robotic space plane is set to make its first unmanned trip into orbit in April. Conceived by NASA as an unmanned re-entry lifeboat for crew of the International Space Station, the X-37 reportedly has a cargo bay of just 7 x 4 feet, and it has apparently been shipped to Florida for its maiden voyage, where it will be mounted to an Atlas V rocket for its launch into space. There aren't any other details -- the people running the project are keeping everything pretty quiet, but the shuttle itself is reported to have said that it's putting itself "to the fullest possible use," adding that that "is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do."
Raytheon scores $886 million contract to improve GPS capabilities
Don't count on your navigation unit seeing a sudden improvement anytime soon, but Raytheon has announced that it's landed an massive $886 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a new element of GPS called the advanced control segment (or OCX, somehow). Once complete, that promises to not only provide a range of enhancements for military GPS use (including anti-jam capabilities and improved security), but improved accuracy and reliability for civil GPS users as well. Details are otherwise a bit light, and this contract only represents the first of two development blocks, but it looks like GLONASS and Galileo may have to step up their game a bit further if they want to stay competitive in the great sat-nav race.
Iraqi insurgents using $26 software to monitor Predator video feeds
We can't say we've ever heard of a $26 Russian program called SkyGrabber before, but it's about to get famous real fast -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Iraqi insurgents have been regularly using the satellite-snooping software to monitor live Predator video feeds. Apparently the Predator transmits video over an unencrypted link, so there's no major hacking or security breach going on here, but it's obviously a huge issue -- and we'd say the bigger problem is that Pentagon officials have known about this flaw since the 1990s, but they didn't think insurgents would figure out how to exploit it. Way to underestimate, guys. The WSJ says the military is working to encrypt all Predator feeds from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, but it's slow going because the Predator network is more than a decade old and based on proprietary tech -- too bad it's not proprietary enough to keep prying eyes out of it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
US Air Force orders up 2,200 more PS3s -- for thinking, not gaming
We were as surprised as anyone when the USAF threw down the cash for 300-odd PlayStation 3s back in March of last year, but what's more shocking is that it's now back for more -- seven times more, in fact. Already employing its PS3 cluster for research into high-def video processing, the Air Force Research Lab wants to expand its capabilities significantly and it seems that Sony's Cell processor is still its weapon of choice. We would use this opportunity to make a few jibes about lazy engineers upgrading their setups in time for Modern Warfare 2, but we're better than that. We'll also totally avoid noting that the US government's skimping on costs now is leading it to commit to an instruction set tailored specifically to the Cell processor, which contrary to the latest Xeons -- pricier though they may be -- is not guaranteed to keep updating in pace with the USAF's needs. Those are things we'll leave for someone who isn't afraid of death lasers and autonomous attack drones to say.
US Air Force to purchase 2200 more PS3s
You may laugh at the "It Only Does Everything" ads but those of us with a cot in the Joystiq Bunker understand that they're a sign that the end is nigh. Why? Because the US military is looking to make a super computer made up of 2500 interconnected PS3 systems -- wait, isn't that how Skynet is made? The US Air Force already has over 300 launch PS3s in its arsenal, but an upcoming purchase of 2200 additional systems will greatly expand the number-crunching capabilities of its networked supercomputer. According to Information Week, the US Air Force will use Sony's Cell-powered hardware for radar imagery, HD video processing and "neuromorphic computing" or, to those of us without a PhD in Armageddon-ology, "building computers with brain-like properties." Yeah, we told you the end was coming.
Boeing's air-to-ground laser test a success, and we have the video to prove it
Fans of future wars, heads up! What might at first blush look like a poorly placed roman candle is actually proof positive that Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) is ready to do some damage. Sure, when we heard last month that the company's tests at the White Sands Missile Range were a success, we responded the same way that we always do: "video or it didn't happen." But now that we've seen it in action, we have one more question: When will its big brother, the 747-mounted ABL, get its day in the limelight? We'll keep you posted. [Via The Register]
Boeing's airborne laser finally blows something up
It's been a long haul marked by funding cuts and some important but rather unexciting tests, but it looks like Boeing's much-ballyhooed airborne laser has now finally actually blown something up, real good. According to Boeing and the US Air Force, that happened over the White Sands Missile Range on August 30th, when an C-130H aircraft equipped with the Advanced Tactical Laser (or ATL) locked on to an unspecified ground target and fired the 12,000lb high-power chemical laser to make the target disappear from the face of the Earth. That successful test seems unlikely to change the laser's place in the Defense Department's arsenal, however, which has already been scaled back significantly from the earlier, more ambitious plans for a whole fleet of aircraft equipped with the weapon. [Via Slashdot]
US Air Force says decision-making attack drones will be here by 2047
Leave it to the military to dream big. In its recently released "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047" report, the US Air Force details a drone that could fly over a target and then make the decision whether or not to launch an attack, all without human intervention. The Air Force says that increasingly, humans will monitor situations, rather than be deciders or participants, and that "advances in AI will enable systems to make combat decisions and act within legal and policy constraints without necessarily requiring human input." Programming of the drone will be based on "human intent," with real actual humans monitoring the execution, while retaining the authority and ability to override the system. It's all still extremely vague, with literally no details on exactly how this drone will come into existence, but we do know this: the Air Force plans to have these dudes operational by 2047. We're just holding out to see what those "classified" pages are all about. [Warning: read link is a PDF] [Via PC World] Read -Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047
Free Speed Racer, AvP and Air Force downloads
It's that time once again when United States Xbox Live members get to switch up their gamer picture and theme looks for free with the release of a handful of new downloads. Available for download off of the XBLM right this moment (like we said, only for the U.S. Live members among us) are free Speed Racer (gamer pictures and a theme), Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (gamer pictures and a theme) and US Air Force (gamer picture and a theme) downloads. You can check out previews of all the gamer pictures over at MyGamerCard.net's GamerPic Scout or just blindly download away. And in all honesty, we recommend blindly downloading things off of the XBLM anyway. Read - Free Alien vs Predator downloads Read - Free Speed Racer and US Air Force downloads
US Air Force to purchase 300 Playstation 3s
The United States Air Force has an application in to the Federal Business Opportunities group to purchase 300 40GB Sony Playstation 3s. No, they're not belated holiday gifts for the troops; the consoles will be used to test the robust Cell processor and its military applications.According to the document, the PS3 features the only Cell processor on the market to meet the standards required by the testing, and does so at reasonable cost. The Air Force Research Laboratory will be using the machines to conduct the tests, in what appears to be a growing trend these days. Or, you know, it's all a big scam so that they can get their Metal Gear Solid 4 fix.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Starfire Optical Range -- a death ray for science's sake
We're rather impressed with the US Air Force and their Starfire project. It's not every day you get to build a death ray on a desert hill in New Mexico and write it off as a scientific endeavor. The premise is that since the atmosphere diffracts light, messing up the view of ground-based optical telescopes, the Starfire shoots a laser 56 miles into the mesosphere and measures the distortion to adjust the telescope optics. Images from the Starfire are 40 times more accurate than regular, but the laser technology is coincidentally multi-purpose: "We don't hide the fact that it could help build an anti-satellite weapon," says the installation's chief, "if you choose to do it." Our thoughts exactly.
