The Captain better watch his back. Once he's got rid of the need of human pilots, someone higher than him will ask if they really need human sailors.
US Navy developers test aircraft carrier drone control software
The US Navy has tested a software package that will allow aircraft carriers running it to use its planned drone air-to-air tankers for communications relay and surveillance duties. The MD-5 Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS) was tested under lab conditions using a lorry in place of the drone, according to …
COMMENTS
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Wednesday 3rd May 2017 15:24 GMT Tikimon
So nice to caption the photo!
That was a right generous thing to caption that photo, "A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet taking off from an aircraft carrier". Seeing as you British folks may have forgotten what an airplane taking off from a carrier looks like. Also that it's a US plane and not a secret British prototype. Might have confused people, yanno.
"OMG why does that runway end over the water, isn't that dangerous? That poor pilot barely off the ground, he must have crashed! And why can't I find video of it on Youtube?"
[with all my sympathy for your naval aviation woes. Our turn will come when we have to rely on those F-35 horrors]
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Thursday 4th May 2017 09:54 GMT phuzz
Re: So nice to caption the photo!
What black magic is this that allows an aircraft to take off from a carrier, without a ski jump at the end?
We are quite familiar with runways that end at the sea however. Do yours have public roads going across them as well?
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Wednesday 3rd May 2017 17:34 GMT John Smith 19
"the MQ-25 will now mainly be used for topping up the tanks of manned aircraft"
Until the top brass realized that would (slowly) start to make "Naval Aviators" as a breed extinct.
But note it's easy to upgrade because it's a got a framework already on board.
Is it my imagination or is this thing quietly acquiring capabilities faster than the F35?
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Wednesday 3rd May 2017 20:17 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: "the MQ-25 will now mainly be used for topping up the tanks of manned aircraft"
Until the top brass realized that would (slowly) start to make "Naval Aviators" as a breed extinct.
Not in the view of top brass. Navy, Air Force (and others) are all the same. The top brass are former top guns, and they believe the idea that (a) there is a special class of human who are the only ones that can become a top gun, and (b) a top gun will outfly any computer. This means that their entire world view is based on self validation - that's common for many people. As a result the top brass aren't working to replace fighter pilots, because they earnestly believe those people are the ubermenschen who defend our "freedoms".
To a large extent, (a) is correct purely due to the skills, coordination and reactions required, but of course (b) is totally wrong.
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Thursday 4th May 2017 20:42 GMT Anonymous Coward
New Patent innovation buzzword: "Drone"
The US Navy has tested a software package that will allow aircraft carriers running it to use its planned drone air-to-air tankers for communications relay and surveillance duties.
In software terms UMCS is not a big leap: USN developers plugged existing mission management, planning and sensor control software into the US Navy's Common Control System framework, tailoring each element as required to talk to the "drone" systems being used.
I would agree it isn't a big leap, the idea of using aircraft as communications relays etc. was part of a US Navy combat communications systems specification that crossed my desk back in the mid 1980's.
So it would appear that the big 'feature' is "use of a drone" as a communications relay, hence why I suspect we will see many new and 'innovative' patents where the only new and 'innovative' feature is "use in a drone".