PICTURES: General Atomics reveals Predator C 'Avenger' UAV

Flight Global ^ | April 21, 2009 | Stephen Trimble

[myknowledge]

Fit the Avenger UAVs with four 20mm M39 cannon, along with a pair of 70mm rocket pods and blast them away!

[myknowledge]

But can they be built by the ten thousands?

The A.I. systems for UAVs have not even sufficiently matured yet. Also, how would they fare against Flankers?

The UAVs would be blown away at BVR, then at WVR with heatseekers and cannon. A UAV dogfighting against a Flanker is a crazy idea.

[org.whodat]

LOL, you want the biggest bang for the buck, my way was to kill them the cheapest. If you want to kill each one of them with a Hell Fire it will get damn expensive.

[MindBender26]

A manned fighter can pull 9Gs. An unmanned vehicle can pull betwen 20 and 35Gs.

A manned fighter has one set of eyes. An unammed can have 6 to 8, all with 100/1 zoom lenses and sensing into the IR sector.

An unmanned fighter has no pressurization, ejection seat, etc. It can also have a “crew” of 3 to 4 to operate sensors, keep situational analysis, etc.

Unmanned fighters do not create widows.

[2111USMC]

It’s a big sucker!

[org.whodat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1w_CgJamRM&feature=related

[Frantzie]

I think we have more enemies now within our borders which makes buying a lot of these a waste of money. We are being undermined from within.

[SeeSharp]

Making it a stealthy jet will mean shorter flight times than the propeller driven UAV’s in service now won’t it?

[org.whodat]

All true!!!!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[Alex Murphy]

Unmanned fighters do not create widows.

Not on their own team, anyway.

[MindBender26]

I like the way you think!

[CurlyDave]

But can they be built by the ten thousands?

Of course they can. And you get some serious economy of scale.

Not only do they not make widows on our side, they don't make POWs either.

They don't get tired, and if they want to kill you you are in deep doo-doo.

The UAVs would be blown away at BVR, then at WVR with heatseekers and cannon. A UAV dogfighting against a Flanker is a crazy idea.

BVR encounters rely on sensors other than the human eye. Exactly why cant we put these same sensors on an UAV? Why can't UAVs carry BVR missiles?

I would trade our entire fleet of F-22s, for 10,000 UAVs and we would be a lot stronger for it.

[papasmurf]

Hmmm...



The Cirrus Vision SF50

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks for the alternate reality on that. As long as the vehicle did maintain contact with base and or the automated self-detonator wasn’t damaged, I believe you both have a point.

[PIF]

Looks like that armor would be just the ticket in very hot climates — for instant heat prostation.

[PIF]

or evading anti-access weapons...

[PIF]

All true - as soon as the tech gets there several decades from now. Meanwhile, your specs fail to note that these craft will be shot down long before they spot the enemy, unless you want to pack them with very sensitive detection gear, and unless you want to risk the problematical detonation of a self-destruct switch.

Not to mention they will be hugely susceptible to ground and air anti-acess weapons.

[MindBender26]

They are not for air-to-air. They are for observation.... for now.

Steve Ritchie says the F-22 / F-35 will probably be the last generation of manned fighters.

The next generation of weaspons systems (or the generation after that) of air-to-air will not be missiles. They will be lasers.

[PIF]

“...the last generation of manned fighters.”

the last generation of US manned fighters, if deadheads continue to believe that jamming is a lost art and the Chinese and Russians were shooting down satellites as a modern equivalent of a fireworks display...

“The next generation of weaspons systems (or the generation after that) of air-to-air will not be missiles. They will be lasers.”

The next generation of US weapons systems manufactured sometime in or near the next century will only work if there is adequate training with swords.

Steve Ritchie ummh sure - he would know from all his recent motivational speaking... what is or isn't a viable future air combat system.