back to article US airforce to get ground refuelling robot

The US Air Force may demonstrate a small ground robot capable of refuelling aeroplanes unassisted next year, according to reports. Flight International says that the US Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate is developing the robot. Initially it will refuel the much-maligned F-35 Joint Strike …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Luis Ogando
    Thumb Up

    May I be the first...

    ..to welcome our fuel dispensing overlords.

  2. Paul Bottomley
    Happy

    I for one...

    ... welcome our petrol serving overlords

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fill 'er up Artoo...

    "which enables it to find the filling point, open the covers and lock on a multi-jointed hose pantograph"

    If you drop your wallet whilst walking across the apron, I recommend that you don't bend down to retrieve it but just keep on going......

  4. alan
    Joke

    i for one

    welcome our jet fighter-refuelling visually-guided radiation-proof robot overlords

  5. Paul
    Alert

    Wrong Section?

    Shouldn't this have been posted under "Rise Of The Machines"?

  6. dan russell

    With apologies to Mitchell & Webb

    Let's hope it can tell the difference between petril & cheese

  7. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    Good going folks

    but I know you can do better. With a little bit more effort we can reach that elusive goal - a comments page consisting of nothing but "I for one welcome" jokes.

  8. Ru
    Flame

    I for one

    Would welcome our censorious overlords consigning 'I for one...' quotes to the outer darkness where 'mobe' was cast out.

  9. pctechxp

    Coming to a petrol station near you

    Hopefully it works and can be adapated to work at your local shell/BP, fit it with a card reader and have it followed around by a vending machine and you can do away with the drongos that inhabit these places.

    I'm sure James Dyson is already working on it.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Regular please Skynet...

    How long till the refueling robot and the UAV's start collaborating in a plot to take over zee world!

    I for one welcome our robotic overlords and hope that the Govenator will be free once skynet shows it true colours!

  11. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: I for one

    Yeah, me too. It's like a plague of overused Simpson quotography.

    'Mobe', though, was liberated a good while ago, and we all gladly use it. No one seems to have noticed, however. It was a quiet revolution.

  12. TeeCee Gold badge
    Coat

    Medal opportunity.

    "How did you get your purple heart?"

    "Some *%%^&&^% robot shoved a 4" hose up my arse and managed to pump in a gallon of J2 before the rest of the ground crew beat it to death with spanners......"

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Jet Fuel..

    'how much more of a menace is a fearsome machine with access to huge volumes of jet fuel'

    Jet Fuel = Paraffin

    Paraffin is way safer than Petrol. (higher flashpoint)

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    @Lewis Page

    "...air forces - including three of the four US ones..."

    Ahem. There is only the one US Air Force.

    Perhaps you're thinking of the other US military branches that also fly jets: the Navy and the Marine Corps.

  15. Dave

    @Sarah Bee

    Actually, someone only just the other day complained about 'mobe'.

    I noticed the comment because I had noticed the usage, and DO NOT APPROVE !!!!

  16. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

    Re: @Sarah Bee

    Well, as far as I'm concerned you can all complain about the usage of 'mobe' fifty times an hour and we'll still use it if we feel so inclined. I don't understand how commentards think that if they shout long and loud enough, we'll eventually give in to their demands.

    But if you feel you have to get your frustration on this issue off your chest, hey, go nuts.

  17. Jan

    Well, someone has to...

    mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe, mobe,

    scnr

  18. alan
    Happy

    i for one

    welcome our mobe-typing commentard/moderatrix overlords

    just lol....

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Just to clarify...

    Is "mobe" pronounced like "probe", or like "moby"?

    I for one use the latter all the time, and welcome... oh forget it.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Then we can turn "robot" to "robe"

    So that we're back on topic.

  21. Bounty
    Coat

    What is the Paris / IT angle?

    Mine's the one with the cliché in the pocket.

  22. Charles Tsang
    Go

    Hello, Bomb? Are you with me?

    Next, the robotic bomb....

  23. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    Anyone else remember...

    ... the rather good Stephen King short story "Trucks" from the "Night Shift" anthology...?

    (Unfortunately he then made the mistake of trying to make it into a film himself which turned into the rather execrable Maximum Overdrive of which the only redeeming feature was the soundtrack by AC/DC)

  24. Adam White

    RE: @Lewis Page

    He wrote "air forces" not "Air Forces" :)

    I'm guessing the fourth one must be the Air National Guard? Or maybe the US Army with their Broncos, upcoming JCAs and plethora of helicopters?

  25. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Boffin

    Big question - how much?

    One pimply youth pushed through basic training and on minimum USAF wage is not that expensive, doesn't cost too much to feed and clothe, and can even pick up a rifle and fight in a last ditch defence of an airbase. So how many youths does one refueler bot replace, and at what price? Unless the ratio is very beneficial, I can't see it being any cheaper, not unless you're using the same tech for real fighting bots and the program is just a way to spread some of the development costs outside the existing budget. Or unless the air industry is just using USAF money to save the cost of developing refueler bots for commercial airline operations.

  26. BioTube
    Flame

    @Big question

    Of course these ain't just for refueling - once they can identify fuel valves reliably, it won't be a huge leap to identifying interlopers.

    INTRUDER DETECTED.

    *Sound of flamethrower*

    CRISPY CRITTER DETECTED.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm really frightened that...

    it'll be powered by MS.

    YIKES, head for the hills, or mines, or YIKES!!!!

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like