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back to article Special-forces robot whisper-copter enters flight test

Flight tests of a revolutionary new robot helicopter have begun, according to the maker, US Aerospace giant Boeing. Of course, robot helicopters are nothing new. Remotely-piloted types have been possible for decades, and in recent years various craft have emerged which can fly pre-planned routes and even land themselves without …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    recovery?

    <quote>and perhaps the recovery of personnel from deep in enemy territory</quote>

    Does this mean that if a person is stuck deep in enemy territory that this new copter will rescue a spec ops?

    Now what is hollywood to do? no more spectacular resues or insane 1 vs 10000000000 people shootout! When the baddies arrive, the spec ops will have been long gone.

    btw, does boing offer options on this thing like special hanging mats or perhaps a boot where the person can be hang/snooze?

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh, the shame!

    "and perhaps the recovery of personnel from deep in enemy territory"

    BlackHawk down! BlackHawk down! Scramble Hummingbirds!

    Pity the poor helicopter pilot rescued by an unmanned drone chopper -- he'll never live that one down.

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  3. Simn Lovatt

    Not black..

    As far as I'm aware a lighter coloured object is harder to see in the sky. A black object stands out.

    I recall reading somewhere that USAF boffins actually installed lights onto predator drones with photo cells that adjusted the bulbs to ambient light to blur them out in the sky.

    Si

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  4. Graham Marsden

    But... but...!

    If they aren't going to paint it black, how on Earth are we supposed to know that we're being watched by secret Government agencies...?

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  5. Kurt Guntheroth

    watching you

    Jeez, Mr Marsden, you aren't SUPPOSED to know when secret Government Agencies are watching you, until their jackbooted foot soldiers kick down your door. If you KNEW, you'd stop doing that bad stuff.

    'Sides, it's just good business. You got your invisible stealth helos for getting the goods on you, and your black helos for the jackbooted minions. That's double the spend, double the taxes, double the military-industiral complex.

    If you can't figure this out, you're probably not worth surveiling..

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  6. Graham Marsden

    Huh!

    Mr Guntheroth...

    I'll have you know that I'm no doubt already on *several* Government watch lists having not only posted messages on discussion forums objecting to Government Policy but *also* having signed up to to-be-ignored petitions on the Number 10 Website *and* having responded to also-to-be-ignored Home Office Consultations!

    Clearly, therefore, I'm a threat to society and the country and the Government and if my tax money is *not* being used to pay for a black helicopter to hover over my house and scan me on infra-red then I want to know about it!!!

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  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Vibration?

    One reason high performance 'copter blades have vibration problems is because the tip is supersonic, the hub is subsonic, and an intermediate point is ..sonic..

    And a constant speed rotor means that the air speed at any radius is constant.

    So how are they controlling the vibration problem and how are they dealing with the airspeed problem?

    A new approach to rotor airfoil shape? Subsonic rotation? Adaptive balancing?

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    wouldn't that be...

    "and an intermediate point is ..sonic.."

    Transonic?

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    no it wouldn't

    Transonic is a transition from subsonic to supersonic, but since it's a constant speed, sonic would be accurate.,,

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