Boeing shows off "Bird of Prey"

[Dr Mordrid]

Boeings stealth technology testbed, just going into retirement. It not only has radar stealth but adaptive optical camoflage. Boeing calls this its "low-observable technologies ".

Result: it's visually invisible by day as well as radar invisible. This is a major big deal given that previous stealth planes (F-117 fighter/bomber and B2 strategic bomber) are pretty much limited to night missions.

Bird of Prey page at Boeing

The release of this testbeds info & pictures can only mean one thing: a plane (or planes) with these features are nearing or are in production, but we'll never know about it until they're used....if then. This was the case with the F- 117.

They may not even be manned. Boeing hints strongly at this in their MPEG's with comparisons of the BoP to the UCAV (unmanned combat air vehicle).




It does look a bit like the old-Trek Romulan Bird of Prey from some angles....doesn't it?

Dr. Mordrid

[Wombat]

That thing looks like it would almost <I>have</I> to be unmanned. My first thought was that the shape looks like something only a computer could control.

[Dr Mordrid]

Computers have been controlling both military and civilian aircraft for many years (since the late '70's in the case of the F-117 & shuttle) by way of "fly by wire" technologies. Now they're transitioning from "wire" to redundent fiberoptics for the avionics control system.

Nope...if you look closely it's a manned plane. Go to Boeings site and download the high resolution versions of the bottom-left image. Definitely a helmet in that cockpit.

Dr. Modrdid

[Wombat]

I'm looking. The download is going right now. I know the F-16 is considered a fly-by-wire unstable, but beasts like the 117 are the real kicker.

I see the cockpit and helmet, but the PR talks about the manned "technology demonstrator."

It's an enormous PITA to design around a cockpit. I have a feeling that even though these exist, there will be many more of an unmanned model sharing as much design with this as possible.

[Wombat]

Weird. I've just watched this three times, and I can't see any signs of optical distortion from the exhaust. Nothing.

[efty]

In the plane shown during the flight there is a "Rader" under the tail, which is not on the ground plane. I wonder how maneuverable it is.

Do you think it could use directed thrust to keep stability?

[Dr Mordrid]

I'd bet it has both directed and cooled exhaust; a mix of the technologies used on the F-22 & F-117 plus some. Add radar stealth & adaptive camo and you have a nightmare with wings for the bad guys.

Dr. Mordrid

[J1NG]

Nice.

While I haven't downloaded any of the clips, (on a 56k line right now), I am wondering whether this plane is actually a fighter plane, or a reconesaince plane. As from the size of it, it looks like it can just "barely" fit the pilot. Much less weapons to make it dangerous to enemy fighters/bombers/aircraft. And since it has got adaptive observible tech, I'm not gonna comment on "I can't see any possible places for holding weapons in the plane".

I still think the F-22 looks better.

J1NG

[GT98]

Hmm only 67 Million dollars to develop too

[Guru]

J1NG don't bother d'loading the clips as there are nothing of interest in them!

[Wombat]

The flight clip is very cool, despite Guru's misconceptions.

There's plenty of room for weaponry. And if you take out the pilot, tons of room.

[Dr Mordrid]

Yup. It's starting to look like UCAV's (unmanned combat air vehicles) are the wave of the future.

Can you imagine some poor sod of a pilot in a conventional fighter running into a UCAV that can pull 10-20 G's in a turn and has both stealth & adaptive camo?

Bend over, place head between knees and kiss your a** goodbye

Examples;




Dr. Mordrid

[efty]

It is interesting what kind of learning algorithm they are going to use for these things. It should be collective in the sense that a UCAV can learn from the mistakes of other UCAV. Ofcourse that brings other security concerns.

[KvHagedorn]

This is starting to sound like an aerial version of the Terminator films.

[Wombat]

They don't have to be completely unmanned. Remotely piloted would work fine, as it does now. You'd still get most of the benefits. And if your pilot loses the bird, he can just pull another one of the fleet hovering above.