Aries Turner Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) OTEC is next. Kratos Valkyrie, unveiled. "The US Air Force’s latest unmanned aircraft system (UAS), XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator completed its inaugural flight March 5, 2019, at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona. The Valkyrie is a long-range, high subsonic unmanned air vehicle designed to operate autonomously or in cooperation with manned aircraft as part of the Air Forces’ ‘Loyal Wingman’ concept. The Air Force Research Laboratory partnered with Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems to develop the XQ-58A. According to the designer, the 30 ft (9 meters) long Valkyrie has a range of more than 3,000 nautical miles (5,556 km)" Edited March 23, 2019 by Aries Turner Some quoting. Quote
Bolt Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 Very cool.. The Valkyrie is a long-range, high subsonic unmanned air vehicle designed to operate autonomously or in cooperation with manned aircraft.... This will still have a remote, human operator, yes? Quote
wmkjr Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) It's also mentioned in the aircraft super thread. Edit: added link to post in aircraft thread http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/36575-aircraft-super-thread-mkvii/?do=findComment&comment=1448954 Edited March 23, 2019 by wmkjr added link to post in other thread Quote
Aries Turner Posted March 23, 2019 Author Posted March 23, 2019 (edited) 54 minutes ago, wmkjr said: It's also mentioned in the aircraft super thread. This one or the previous, rounder, simpler one? Thanks for the heads up, however. 1 hour ago, Bolt said: This will still have a remote, human operator, yes? Supposedly by the manned fighter pilot, somewhat like depicted in Delta. Edited March 23, 2019 by Aries Turner Double post. Quote
Bolt Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 Keep meaning to watch that for the obvious M+ similarities. Quote
Seto Kaiba Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 It's even almost the same size as the later Ghost models. 47 minutes ago, Bolt said: Keep meaning to watch that for the obvious M+ similarities. You're missing nothing... it's pretty meh. Quote
Sildani Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 It has good airplane designs, Jessica Biel in a bikini, and no plot to speak of at all. Quote
JB0 Posted March 23, 2019 Posted March 23, 2019 4 hours ago, Bolt said: Keep meaning to watch that for the obvious M+ similarities. Don't start that again! Quote
slide Posted March 24, 2019 Posted March 24, 2019 5 hours ago, Bolt said: Keep meaning to watch that for the obvious M+ similarities. The makers of Stealth never saw M+, almost guaranteed, or there WOULD be some reference made... Quote
Bolt Posted March 24, 2019 Posted March 24, 2019 1 hour ago, JB0 said: Don't start that again! oOPs! 23 minutes ago, slide said: The makers of Stealth never saw M+, almost guaranteed, or there WOULD be some reference made... I never said any similarities were , intentionally done. Anyway , how about that new Valkyrie-er..Ghost.? Quote
slide Posted March 24, 2019 Posted March 24, 2019 16 minutes ago, Bolt said: I never said any similarities were , intentionally done. I'm trying to recall even some passing or accidental ones... anyway, I prefer E.D.I.'s design to what we got... ... WAY cooler! E.D.I. looked like a badass... this real-world-drone looks like an up-jumped JSAW... Quote
JB0 Posted March 24, 2019 Posted March 24, 2019 38 minutes ago, slide said: I'm trying to recall even some passing or accidental ones... It had two superjets and a rogue AI, it was OBVIOUSLY a ripoff. (All sarcasm aside, I think that was the total extent of conceptual overlap, and it is a pretty tenuous connection.) Quote
M'Kyuun Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 The new Valkyrie drone, aside from the possibilities it offers to operators in theatre, really doesn't do much for me visually. It's fairly cookie-cutter by modern drone standards. Kawamori's Ghost design was much prettier, but I'm assuming that design-wise it's pure sci-fi fantasy, or we'd see development along those lines with real aircraft. Regardless, still love me some Macross Plus. Stealth was kinda meh, aside from Biel in a bikini. I actually liked the design of E.D.I. I recall there being a lot of criticism concerning its design around here when the movie was in development and stills were floating about to build hype. The fighter designs didn't bother me; the atrocious refueling platform OTH- WTF?? That thing was pure ridiculousness. At the time it came out, I worked on KC-135R and T model tankers, so perhaps I was a little too close to the reality to suspend my disbelief, but IMHO it wasn't even a good sci-fi design. Quote
slide Posted March 27, 2019 Posted March 27, 2019 15 hours ago, M'Kyuun said: Kawamori's Ghost design was much prettier, but I'm assuming that design-wise it's pure sci-fi fantasy, or we'd see development along those lines with real aircraft. Regardless, still love me some Macross Plus. When we can achieve a Thrust-to-weight of anything approaching the X-9, we can try to make the death-machines pretty as well as effective.... 15 hours ago, M'Kyuun said: The fighter designs didn't bother me; the atrocious refueling platform OTH- WTF?? That thing was pure ridiculousness. At the time it came out, I worked on KC-135R and T model tankers, so perhaps I was a little too close to the reality to suspend my disbelief, but IMHO it wasn't even a good sci-fi design. the burning Doom-Ring of aerosol'ed JP was a neat scene though... Quote
M'Kyuun Posted March 28, 2019 Posted March 28, 2019 Yeah, that scene wasn't heavy laden with foreshadowing. However, ridiculous blimp refueling platform notwithstanding, refuelers all have shut-off valves installed to prevent just such an occurrence. Even the MPRS pods have SOVs if memory serves; if not, then there are SOVs within the wings that can stop the loss of fuel from a leaking or damaged hose/drogue assembly. The refueling pods I worked on with the MC-130s back at Hurlburt had a guillotine that would cut the hose off and simultaneously plug the leak. So, having a platform just doing huge donuts in the air all the while spewing JP into an aerosolized cloud just primed for some incendiary to spark it into an epic ring of fire that Johnny Cash would be proud of is naught but an enormous steaming pile of movie-making bull feces. It didn't impress me much. After getting off here yesterday, I was looking at some of our other drones, and the X-45 and X-47 caught my eye. Pretty birds, those. Considering the age of these things, circa 2011, I wonder what DARPA, the CIA, and other more clandestine agencies actually have now for snooping and Secret Squirrel ordinance deliveries. Probably closer to the Ghost than we think. Quote
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