The end is near
 

Navy to attempt 1st unmanned carrier landing | Navy Times | navytimes.com

Can't wait to see the UAV guys wearing trap count patches.

I have no doubt they can make one land on the boat. I still have reservations about unmanned in a strike and/or fighter role...too many ways a savvy high-end adversary could exploit things the engineers didn't think about. ISR, sure makes perfect sense for the most part.

I don't fear what adversaries may do to counter these things. I fear the countermeasures we will take as the next step, giving them some kind of artificial intelligence and autonomy.

This line from Terminator in 1984 says it best.

"Kyle Reese: Defense network computers. New... powerful... hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. They say it got smart, a new order of intelligence. Then it saw all people as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. Decided our fate in a microsecond: extermination."

"This has happened all before. This will happen all again".

Guess it worked.

Navy Drone Successfully Lands on Aircraft Carrier - Washington Wire - WSJ

I'm still confused a bit :confused:
So......there is a guy sitting somewhere with his finger on the 'WAVE OFF' button just posed and ready for that Seamn to step across the foul line?

Is there an LSO waving 'Salty Dog 502'?
In rough seas - if it is decided that no LSO is required - who is timing the arrivals and how is it automnously decided where the wave-window is set?

The weather and sea state looked really good for that demonstration
Probably more restrictive than even the SNAs are allowed! :)
Having it air-to-air refuel in a basket and drogue style will be interesting too.

A response from a co-worker on the questions posed. This person is still in touch with some invloved in the program to some small degree.

Quote:

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Had a somewhat lengthy email conversation last night with some of the bubbas. Bottom line is this is way early in the game and the X-47 is a technology demonstrator.
As such, I don't think they've seriously begun to think through how they will integrate the thing into the CV NATOPS procedurally or who/how they will make the waveoff decision.
One of the photos that I made fun of was of the thing landing and in the background are all the LSOs looking down the deck as if they were critiquing the landing.
It is my understanding that, somehow, the Air Boss and the LSO's have waveoff authority and the AGO (Arresting Gear Officer) can still call the deck foul when Airman Schmuckatelli wanders across the foul line. For now, the contractors are in that loop as well.
It is my impression that right now the thing is almost completely automated/programmed to fly a profile. Assume when it's coming back aboard they fly into into a recovery window of some sort where it "locks on" to a signal on the boat. And yes, calm seas and day VFR seem to be the order of the day for the moment.

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Or not...

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/07/navy...arrier-landing

I'm not a TPS dude but I imagine this was standard test protocol to divert. My guess is those extra days of testing keeping GHWB underway will need to be repeated...

66% boarding rate. I think that's better than my intial CQ boarding rate! :D