"[...] cause collateral damage - deaths, injuries and destruction - which may wipe out any gains achieved by killing the target"

Right, because what's important is getting the right balance of deaths and injuries.

I can see it now, pager goes off, I roll out of bed, head for the basement, start the HDTV, XBOX and login. I am handed control, seek out my target, get the bad guy body count required for a successful mission. Get the awards, log off, time to make the trophy wife's coffee.

That's enough for the basis of a movie.

...next time they fabricate an excuse to invade a 3rd world country.

They can hover over the citizens, showing their ARSS to everyone

I think I would prefer a keyboard and high resolution mouse. There is also a great bit in Ghost in the Shell where they have the helicoper snipers!

All the enemy has to do is get their own snipercopter and use a mouse and keyboard for control. Terrorists win!

Where are the frickin laserz?

...a fleet of ARSS controlled by an AC-130 Spectre/Spooky.

*dreamily reminisces about playing 1942 with both wingmen powered up*

I wonder if they have to compensate for wind...?

Mines the one made of composite materials hovering at 15000 feet.

"They've got us pinned down sarge, what'll we do?"

"Well don't just sit there, private, stick your ARSS in the air!"

Outbreak! Outbreak! Outbreak!

I think I prefer to stay inside....

@Mark

"For this craft to be of any use it would surely need to have a sniper-like range (barrel to target). Therefore the craft would be a reasonable size - possibly human torso sized in order to carry the kit and handle the recoil."

Ah, no. Because it's smaller than a traditional sniper (not to mention sniper+copter combo), it can get closer to the target while still presenting a smaller target to the person it's trying to kill.

So no, it certainly doesn't need a sniper-like range.

Tony Soprano with a DIY hobby chopper mounted with a cam and a glock?

Nice to see (slide 11) it runs on 'any PC using Linux'

So, what's all this Xbox malarkey?

Since when did phillip k dick start controlling reality-

Concerned the combination of seemingly unrelated technoligies :

more and more human looking japaneese robots + incresingly sophisticated killing drones

= 2nd variety!

So the next megalomaniac empire building world leader will command a swarm of miniature disposable flying kill bots.

How long will it be before an anonymous hacking collective takes over the world and executes any comentard who fails to use the PH icon?

@ Crypt - the XBox 'malarkey' is down to a common misconception - that Micro$loth invented the multi-function hand controller.

McDonnel Douglas Helicopters and Boing Helicopters have both been working on unmanned rotorcraft for years; Boing even got as far as letting Delta Force play with one (allegedly) - based on the UH6/MD500 (Little Bird) chassis.

But does this mean they have found a way round the UN trying to get armed UAVs counted as Cruise Missiles, and therefore subject to some gnarly restrictions on their use?

Mine's the one with the 656Sqn badges on the sleeves

what no sixaxis tomfoolery?

mines the one with the killzone 2 air droid beacon in it

How high can this thing fly? - if it can hover at 2k+ altitude directly above it's target and shoot straight down then range is not a problem. The guys on the wrong end of it probably can't even see it let alone engage it.

Thumbs up in Roman Emporer style.

Nice acronym.... puts "Blue Thunder " in a totally new area.

am now eagerly awaiting the "Freeflying Enhanced Copter Killer"

lol

Wasn't that the plot of the 1980's childrens' film "The Last Starfighter"....?

Re: AC 10:42 "Boing Helicopters"

Heh...thats a great image, bouncy rubber helipcopters.

Coming in for landing now......BOING.....mayday myday.

Sure, It's call "ignoring." You would be suprised how well it works!

"FECK! Look out! It's an ARSS!"

"Wasn't that the plot of the 1980's childrens' film "The Last Starfighter"....?"

well almost but with this they could pipe the live stream from the drone direct to your own computer screen as the AC said at the top, no need to fly across the galaxy and sit in a prototype and be shot at buy the entire opposing fleet , while you wait for them to get in range of your really super duper weapons system, you could just sit in your pants sipping coffee and head shoting the enemy of the day. gives a whole new term to bonus level.

The Pop Mech article lists the specs as:

" + Max Weight: 1100 pounds + Length: 26 feet + Rotor Diameter: 23 feet + Top Speed: 117 mph + Payload: 150 pounds + Fuel Capacity: 36 gallons + Flight Time: 6-plus hours"

Not your average RC chopper by any means.....

... but remember when you are reaching for the coffee pot/kettle or maybe the pencil sharpener is the riskiest bit of kit in the office apart from the line manager's tongue that there are some seriously responsible and brave people putting their own lives at risk for the sake of something they think is worth protecting and being placed at ultimate risk.

Sorry to be a killjoy - hope you don't get a paper cut at the printer ;-)

They would be way better off controlling this thing with a keyboard & mouse.

"first-shot kills are expected at several hundred metres"

Does anyone know what sort of range a human in a chopper can manage?

All I know is the current record is 2460m for a shot in the Afghan mountains (ElReg report on DARPA smart bullets). I'm guessing that putting sniper on a wobbly platform like a chopper would cut the maximum range in half.

I note that the software on this is by SAIC, known for its long good relations with Uncle Sam and fondness for hiring various ex military and law enforcement types. So expect a hefty price tag on it.

The Americans never make mistakes, this sounds like a machine designed to enhance that reputation.

Imagine this for a movie plot:

They tell you you're playing a simulation game...

You notice the images and the blood look very realistic for a game...

But you just put that down to a very good effort on the part of the developer.

But there's a reason why they look so realistic...

They *are* real...

What they haven't told you is you're actually flying the real thing...

Re: last post

Yes, but how many points do you get for trashing a Volvo...?

(As I recall, that was part of the Plot for the Robin Williams/LL Cool J 1991 film Toys, after Michael Gambon's character, a ex-U.S Army General has taken over the Toy factory, & started producing a far more destructive military orientated product, piloted by children)

So pretty much the plot of Ender's Game then?