Very soon we will have wars like video games.. Why not even "Soldier Drone" or you may want to call him/her a Robot (soooo old tech..).. This Chopper is just for logistics only.. yet.. I am sure, it will have guns loaded on it as well.. Good job prospects for Video Game players.. or may be US Military should buy out Wii/xBox-360.. or at least hire their top notch developers to usage/control of these devices in field..
Bad news is that all this is being done to enable more destruction of beautiful mother nature.. silver lining is that ultimately, it will result in lesser human casualties.. ultimately.. hopefully on both sides of the war.. and winner will be the best Video game player with latest and greatest video game consoles... (sorry about linking such a fun thing like video games to such a dreaded and catastrophic thing like war..).
Here is detailed news from our local mercury news..
U.S. testing helicopter drone
Pilotless aircraft can be used to haul cargo inwar zones
By Slobodan Lekic
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. military is testing a revolutionary new drone for its arsenal, a pilotless helicopter intended to fly cargo missions to remote outposts where frequent roadside bombs threaten access by road convoys. Surveillance drones for monitoring enemy activity and armed versions for launching airstrikes have become a trademark of America’s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq. But this is the first time a helicopter version designed for transport has been used operationally. Two pilotless models of the Kaman K-MAX helicopters and a team of 16 company technicians and eight Marines are conducting a 6-month evaluation program for the new craft at Camp Dwyer, a Marine Corps airfield in the Garmsir district of southern Helmand Province.
The craft have flown 20 transport missions since the inaugural flight Dec. 17, said Maj. Kyle O’Connor, the officer in charge of the detachment. They have delivered nearly 18 tons of cargo, mainly thousands of Meals Ready to Eat and spare parts needed at the forward operating bases.
“Afghanistan is a highly mined country and the possibility of improvised explosive devices is always a problem moving cargo overland in a convoy,” O’Connor said.
“Every load that we can take off of a ground convoy reduces the danger and risk that our Marines, soldiers, and sailors are faced with,” he said. “With an unmanned helicopter, even the aircrew is taken out of harm’s way.”
The Marines from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 lead the missions and deliver the cargo into combat drop zones, while contractors operate and maintain the two aircraft.
The craft’s onboard computer uploads the mission plans, enabling them to fly on autopilot. But an operator at base control monitors progress and can step in and override the autopilot for manual operation if any problems occur, or if the drone must be redirected in mid-flight.
The K-MAX is the latest in a series of Kaman synchronized twin-rotor helicopters dating from the 1950s. The unusual arrangement, with two side-by-side pylons on the helicopter’s roof supporting counter-rotating blades, results in exceptional stability while hovering and allows pinpoint cargo delivery.
During the Vietnam War, a previous Kaman model, the two-pilot HH-43 Huskie, flew more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined because of this unique hovering capability.
The piloted version of the K-MAX helicopter first appeared in the 1990s, and the pilotless prototype was unveiled in 2008.
A K-MAX pilotless freight helicopter transports cargo in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Two of the helicopters have flown 20 transport missions since Dec. 17 in southern Afghanistan.
JUSTIN M. BOLING/ ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bad news is that all this is being done to enable more destruction of beautiful mother nature.. silver lining is that ultimately, it will result in lesser human casualties.. ultimately.. hopefully on both sides of the war.. and winner will be the best Video game player with latest and greatest video game consoles... (sorry about linking such a fun thing like video games to such a dreaded and catastrophic thing like war..).
Here is detailed news from our local mercury news..
U.S. testing helicopter drone
Pilotless aircraft can be used to haul cargo inwar zones
By Slobodan Lekic
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. military is testing a revolutionary new drone for its arsenal, a pilotless helicopter intended to fly cargo missions to remote outposts where frequent roadside bombs threaten access by road convoys. Surveillance drones for monitoring enemy activity and armed versions for launching airstrikes have become a trademark of America’s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq. But this is the first time a helicopter version designed for transport has been used operationally. Two pilotless models of the Kaman K-MAX helicopters and a team of 16 company technicians and eight Marines are conducting a 6-month evaluation program for the new craft at Camp Dwyer, a Marine Corps airfield in the Garmsir district of southern Helmand Province.
The craft have flown 20 transport missions since the inaugural flight Dec. 17, said Maj. Kyle O’Connor, the officer in charge of the detachment. They have delivered nearly 18 tons of cargo, mainly thousands of Meals Ready to Eat and spare parts needed at the forward operating bases.
“Afghanistan is a highly mined country and the possibility of improvised explosive devices is always a problem moving cargo overland in a convoy,” O’Connor said.
“Every load that we can take off of a ground convoy reduces the danger and risk that our Marines, soldiers, and sailors are faced with,” he said. “With an unmanned helicopter, even the aircrew is taken out of harm’s way.”
The Marines from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 lead the missions and deliver the cargo into combat drop zones, while contractors operate and maintain the two aircraft.
The craft’s onboard computer uploads the mission plans, enabling them to fly on autopilot. But an operator at base control monitors progress and can step in and override the autopilot for manual operation if any problems occur, or if the drone must be redirected in mid-flight.
The K-MAX is the latest in a series of Kaman synchronized twin-rotor helicopters dating from the 1950s. The unusual arrangement, with two side-by-side pylons on the helicopter’s roof supporting counter-rotating blades, results in exceptional stability while hovering and allows pinpoint cargo delivery.
During the Vietnam War, a previous Kaman model, the two-pilot HH-43 Huskie, flew more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined because of this unique hovering capability.
The piloted version of the K-MAX helicopter first appeared in the 1990s, and the pilotless prototype was unveiled in 2008.
A K-MAX pilotless freight helicopter transports cargo in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Two of the helicopters have flown 20 transport missions since Dec. 17 in southern Afghanistan.
JUSTIN M. BOLING/ ASSOCIATED PRESS
No comments:
Post a Comment