european stealth-combat test drone flies in france

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_EUROPE_DRONE_TEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-01-09-02-29

PARIS (AP) -- A pan-European stealth combat drone demonstrator has taken its first test flight in southern France.

French defense company Dassault-Aviation is lead contractor on the "Neuron" project launched in 2005 involving firms from France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland to provide a test bed for developing future combat aircraft.

Its successful flight took place Saturday near Istres.

Program officials say the Neuron is not a prototype, but aims to help European countries explore stealth technology for possible use - years from now - in future drones or successors of fighters like the Eurofighter or France's Rafale. The program will also seek innovations like the release of air-to-surface weapons from an internal bay.


***THARS GOLD IN THEM THAR DRONES!11

[RC]

1. Why do the Drone Wars, for some reason, remind me of...

The Enterprise is en route to star cluster NGC321 to open diplomatic relations with the civilizations there, including the Eminiar VII, principal planet of the star cluster. However, Eminiar VII sends a Code 710 signal telling the Enterprise not to approach under any circumstances. The Federation knows very little about Eminiar VII, except that it has had space travel for several centuries but has never ventured beyond its own solar system. The Federation also knows that when Eminiar VII was first contacted, it was at war with Vendikar, its closest neighbor. However, the Federation ship making the report never returned and was listed as lost in space.

Kirk, Spock, and three crew members (including Galloway and Tamura) beam down and are met by Mea 3 and a security detachment of two who take them to Anan 7 and members of the High Counsel. Anan 7 claims that Eminiar VII has been at war with Vendikar, the third planet in the system, for 500 years. However, no evidence of warfare is evident to the landing party who witness a fusion bomb "attack." In fact, Yeoman Tamura's tricorder shows no radiation disturbances, despite Anan 7's claim that half a million people have just been killed. A counterattack is ordered by Anan 7 and carried out by Sar 6's activation of the "attack unit." Spock realizes that the war is being fought by computers which calculate casualties and that the citizens who are declared "dead" are then required to report to disintegration chambers.

http://www.ericweisstein.com/fun/startrek/ATasteOfArmageddon.html

We already have a class of people that unthinkingly do as they are told. Use the Drones to take care of the rest of us and what is left is: Star Trek: A Taste of Armageddon

[leveymg]

2. Dassault Neuron looks like a clone of the US X-47B drone.

Drone clones appear to promise to be an effective force multiplier, particularly in the ground attack mode. Wonder how well they will really perform in the robot wingman mode, though?