Battlefield skyhook robocopter 'passes US Marines' test'
The deadline for makers to bring forward unmanned skyhook robocopters - intended to move battlefield supplies in Afghanistan as soon as this year - is upon us, and one team at least is claiming a successful demonstration. The Kaman K-MAX intermesh rotor helicopter. Credit: Kaman Now available without that heavy, expensive, …
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manual control by the ground operator
So why is there someone sitting in it?
Is that person optional cargo or was the correct stock-photo image just not available :)
what???
Can't you see the Robot piloting the copter? whats up with you?
@ice_cow
Did you read the photo's caption?
"Now available without that heavy, expensive, moaning pilot"
Kinda suggests that unlike this helicopter, the new ones are unpiloted.
Control
I wonder if they've remembered to encrypt the control link this time?
Huh?
When was the control link not encrypted?
Oh wait. You must be confused by the fact that someone left the video link unencrypted.
(Not that they could see the crosshairs or telemetry ...)
I can imagine it now...
"Hey Achmed, this is Abu. You know that Predator Drone thing we hacked in to? ... Well its coming down your street. You may want to get out of your house ...."
So close ...
Just a little jiggling of the title and ... "Immediate Cargo Aerial Robotic Unmanned System".
(And anyone familiar with the story will understand the choice of icon)
Or how about...
Immediate Cargo Unmanned Supply System
or iCUSS for short when they're going "Where's the *%#& supply chopper?"
Obvious punnery.
Quite the "Rise" of the Machines, no?
Also, +1 vote to add "punnery" to the Reg dictionary.
Look at it closely
It appears to have twin contra-rotating rotors, but they are very closely spaced. How does that work? They must crash into each other.
Clearly they must not
Meditate on the egg beater and you shall be enlightened
Well since it's actually flying
It must not. This is pretty much Kaman's trademark design, kind of like Harleys are aircooled V-twins and Apple stuff is expensive.
@alyn
bit pedantic of me maybe, but if they must crash into each other, how do you reckon it gets up into the air?
Good question
It looks like each rotor is mounted at an angle (and V-shaped?) to pass over the mounting of the other rotor. Synchronise the 2nd rotor and you're (up, up and) away
@ Gene Cash & Rob 30 - Photoshop? :-)
@alyn
bit pedantic of me maybe, but there's no need for egg beaters.. if they must crash into each other, how do you reckon it gets up into the air?
@alyn
Um, intermeshing contra-rotating rotors are kind of Kamen's specialty. The contra-rotation eliminates the need for a tail rotor (and has done since the 1950's IIRC).
Their rotors also tend to have a flap on the trainling edge of their blades, which is quite unusual (AFAIK). I'd hear d of this basic design some time ago when they were touting it as a helicopter for logging operations, with no cabin, just a pilots cockpit and rotors and bearings designed for no replacement during the life of the vehicle.
That pictue proves my theory
That helicopter do not actually fly, the earth just repels them due to their ugliness.
next stop, 777
can you image getting a job sitting in a custom chair and monitoring the flight of every plane landing at JFK?
I can.
Colours?
I don't think they thought out the camoflage design too well on the whirly bird though....
Is it good at avoiding ground attacks?
Might be a new tactic for insurgents:
1. Wait for robo-copter to fly past
2. Shoot down robo-copter
3. Collect valuable cargo from mountainside
4. Profit^H^H^H^H^H Use supplies against now-unsupplied grunts
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