A British Drone That Can Loiter For Hours Before Striking It's Target

The Fire Shadow Loiters For Hours Before Attacking Its Target -- Gizmodo

The Fire Shadow is an unmanned flying machine that can loiter unnoticed, hovering over an area for six hours, waiting to receive a kill order on any designated moving or static target — and then fall on it like a suicidal bird of prey to destroy it.

This video shows exactly that, hitting a car full of imagined terrorist in real life footage.

According to missile systems manufacturer MBDA, this bird of death is a high precision, low cost flying missile that can be launched by a soldier from the ground, just like any other small unmanned air vehicle. After the launch, the Fire Shadow can hover over a large area for up to six hours or 100km. Once the operator points out a target, the Fire Shadow will fall on it destroying it on contact.

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Update: British Army's Fire Shadow Missile Can Stay Aloft For Six Hours Before Hitting Moving Target -- Huffington Post

My Comment: Impressive

An Infographic On Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Hat Tip: Top Secret Writers

WNU Editor: It has been brought to my attention that credit for the above excellent infographic should go to Criminal Justice Degree Schools. For those interested in law enforcement, it is definitely a website to look at.

Boeing's Phantom Eye Takes Flight

The Phantom Eye goes for a ride.
(Credit: NASA)

Boeing's Phantom Eye Goes For A Low Ride -- CNET

Someday the Phantom Eye will soar at 65,000 feet. For now, Boeing's excited just to see it go four-wheeling on the desert floor.

The hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft earlier this month took a modest, ground-level spin at Edwards Air Force Base in its first medium-speed taxi test, Boeing said today. Nestled on its launch cart system, the Phantom Eye traveled some 4,000 feet at speeds of up to 30 knots in a trip that lasted less than two minutes. (In the air, it's expected to have a maximum speed of 200 knots.)

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More News On Boeing's Phantom Eye

Boeing Phantom Eye Conducts Medium-speed Taxi Test -- Defpro

Boeing’s Phantom Eye spy plane rolls closer to flight -- Geek Wire

Hydrogen-powered plane completes taxi test -- UPI
Phantom Eye enters taxi tests -- Flight Global
Boing Phantom Eye Hydrogen-Powered UAV [Video] -- Auto Evolution

Video Special On The Impact Of UAVs In War Zones

Hat Tip: Naval Open Source INTelligence

UAV News Updates -- November 4, 2010

MQ-9 Reaper Is The Badass Of Military Drones (video) -- Singularity Hub

War is not a video game…but it’s starting to look more and more like one. The prevalence of unmanned aerial vehicles in the US military has changed the landscape of war forever, and no UAV demonstrates that more clearly than the MQ-9 Reaper. Born from the Predator drones that have spied on and targeted terrorists and insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, the MQ-9 Reaper represents the next step in remote plane technology. And that step is rigged to explode. The Reaper carries more ordinance than any other unmanned vehicle in the air, 3000+ lbs of explosives, or 14 Hellfire missiles. Standard Predators carry 2 or less. Each of these missiles are capable of taking out anything from snipers to tanks. The MQ-9 is the modern hunter-killer, made all the more remarkable because its pilots fly the UAVs in utter safety from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. When people ask me about the future of war I point to the Reaper. Unmanned, heavily armed, covered in surveillance equipment – it’s able to spy or strike anywhere in the world. Watch the MQ-9 demonstrate its prowess in the videos below. Drones have already changed the shape of war; the next generation of UAVs like the Reaper may make it unrecognizable.

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More News On UAV Drones

Military wants to fly more sophisticated drones -- Washington Post
Unmanned bomber fits in backpack: Drone could give Marines instant air support -- Marine Times
Soldiers fly UAV, prepare to deploy -- Army.mil
Marines Look To Arm Shadow UAV -- Aviation Week
Joint carrier operations, UAV developments in UK/France defence pact -- Flight Global
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles In The Service of the Israel Air Force -- Blitz
Army’s Drones Get New Add-Ons: Radars, Self-Landing, Cellular Coverage [Updated] -- The Danger Room
Drones to Shape U.K. F-35C Buy -- DoD Buzz

UAVs Coming Of Age. They Take Over The Farnborough Airshow

Farnborough Airshow, held just outside London, is one of the aviation industry's biggest gatherings. But what strikes the visitor now is that a lot of the excitement and innovation has moved away from the manned sector to the unmanned drones.

Unmanned Airplanes Take Over Farnborough Airshow -- Popular Mechanics

At the Farnborough Airshow, UAVs get their own pavilion—and plenty of fanfare.

Farnborough Airshow, held just outside London every two years, is one of the aviation industry's biggest gatherings. A staggering amount of business is done here; last time around there were estimated to be more than 130,000 trade visitors, with $88 billion of new orders announced during the week-long show. But what strikes the visitor now is that a lot of the excitement and innovation has moved away from the manned sector to the unmanned drones.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has made headlines by making its first trip to Europe to be at Farnborough. But it's hard to get too excited about improved fuel economy, the Dreamliner's big selling point, and it takes an aviation buff to tell it apart from another airliner. Whereas the drones are breaking new ground: QinetiQ started the show by announcing that its solar-powered Zephyr drone has just broken its own endurance record by flying for seven days nonstop.

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