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Super-maneuverable drone airplanes are coming
Helicopter-like drones are extremely nimble, but their fixed-wing counterparts aren't so lucky. Chinese researchers have a way to bring some of that agility to conventional airplane designs, though. They've developed a vectored thrust propeller system that lets the drone make tighter turns, take off quickly and otherwise fly in areas where it would normally be too dangerous. And unlike jet-based vectored thrust (such as on the F-22), this system is light and small enough to fit into a relatively compact UAV.