We’re not super crazy about the tiny windows on planes anyway, so we won’t shed a tear at the idea that the upcoming Spike S-512 supersonic business jet is planning to ditch them altogether. But don’t imagine its well-heeled flyers will stare at a blank wall. Instead, the plan is to have large panoramic displays mirror the outside view, through cameras placed all around the plane’s exterior. Not only will the view be more spectacular, it can be replaced with anything else at the touch of a button. Want to catch some Z’s under a calm starry night? No problem.
Not only is it a novel and impressive idea, the company also informs us that shedding the windows will also save weight. That should help it along in getting to its cruising speed of Mach 1.6. That’s 1,218 mph for those of you keeping count, and if you thought a supersonic business jet with panoramic displays instead of windows would cost a pretty penny, you wouldn’t be wrong: the expected price tag will be somewhere around $60 million and $80 million, when it supposedly comes out in 2018.
[ Manufacturer Website ] VIA [ Engadget ]
If "fighter pilot" was your desired career, you'd better hurry up now that Boeing is looking to replace you with a robot. The company has retrofitted a retired F-16 fighter, which had laid dormant for 15 years, into a drone for combat training missions. Rather than risking life and limb in the cockpit, two test pilots can maneuver the craft, now called QF-16, from Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base -- presenting rookie flyers with a target that can hit 9G and supersonic speeds. There's an explanatory video below, which explains the benefits of computer controlled planes but... wait a minute, isn't this the plot of Stealth?
Filed under: Transportation
Via: The Register
Source: Boeing
We are used to seeing sedans, SUVs, hatchbacks and other “normal” cars on the road. But if any of these beauties showed up, you sure bet everyone would be rubbernecking to see what is going on there.
I love driving, the wind in your face, singing loudly to the music blaring ...
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BAE Systems' ASTRAEA isn't a new concept -- the company's been playing up its unmanned potential for quite some time now -- but it's all seeming entirely less pie-in-the-sky now that the Farnborough Airshow has kicked off. Typically, UAVs are thought to be smaller, drone-type apparatuses; these things are typically used in military exercises where remote gunfire or reconnaissance is required. Clearly, it's about time someone asked the obvious: "Why?" Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, Engineering Director Systems and Strategy, Military Air and Information at BAE and ASTRAEA Program Director recently spoke at the aforesaid event, noting that this particular aircraft could "open up a new market." He continued: "Current search and rescue aircraft are limited by human endurance, however with a UAV there's no reason why they can't stay up for weeks." Sadly, he also affirmed that there aren't any plans to ship actual humans up in the air without a pilot onboard, but if you're rich and mettlesome enough to pull it off yourself... well, be sure to send us the video. Also, Godspeed.
Filed under: Transportation
BAE Systems speaks about unmanned ASTRAEA: no reason it can't stay in air 'for weeks' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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