OK, so I don't know if I'm missing something here, but absolutely every capability mentioned in this snippet from the article is something that other UAVs have been doing for years - there already UAVs that can serve as comms nodes or ISR assets, and aide CSAR. (One exception: Aerial refueling, and even that's something that the Navy's MQ-25 will be able to do - and which NASA already demonstrated with RQ-4 Global Hawks years ago.) Not sure if the fault here lies with the originating article in Air Force Magazine, or the Popular Mechanics author, but my immediate reaction here is, "Cool, but not really all that impressed," which I'm pretty sure isn't the effect that they were going for...

Both of those articles that you linked are from 2013. A lot has changed since then - particularly when it comes to machine learning and sensor capabilities. Though I don't disagree with the overall notion that it will be very difficult for UAVs to replace manned aircraft in all roles (not only for technical reasons, but also bureaucratic reasons).

It doesn't change the fundamental issues though, such as the blurring of accountability when things go wrong, or the fact that such autonomous hardware may end up being more expensive to run and maintain than human pilots, or their susceptibility to spoofing and hacking. Furthermore, algorithms don't have any sense of context (and AI routines are algorithms), which comes from a lifetime of experience. I would hate to be in a "the Taliban don't wave" situation where an AI vehicle with autonomous decision making capability mistakes me or people around me for a legitimate target and opens fire despite anything we might do to the contrary. In real life, "the Taliban don't wave" incident happened in Afghanistan when a Canadian-led ANA squad was mistaken for a legitimate target by an American Apache helicopter pilot and the Canadian squad leader ordered everyone in the unit to stand up and wave at the helicopter, which prevented a friendly fire incident because "the Taliban don't wave."

(And before anyone tells me that "electronic IFF would solve the problem of AIs distinguishing friend from foe," that's not foolproof either due to jamming or technical problems.)

Skynet or not, I'm personally not a fan of AI autonomously making decisions to engage enemies in war myself.

*SIGH* Oh, Mazryonh, only you would write a giant rebuttal essay to somebody whose last post 90% agreed with you (and your articles). Please do get yourself tested for Asperger's Syndrome if you haven't already - and I know that's not the first time I've told you that.

BTW, I think the conventional wisdom nowadays is that Manned-Unmanned Teaming (vs. 100% Manned/100% Unmanned) is the way of the future; Real Clear Defense actually just had a good piece on that topic today.

I was taking issue with what you said about machine learning and sensor capabilities. And you needn't be so quick to judge. We all have issues we like to talk about.

Anyway, would we be even having this conversation about drones in combat if there wasn't a manpower shortage in the US Armed Forces? Do you have a link to the specific article you were referring to?

OK, but as I said, I didn't fundamentally disagree with the basic premise that it is undesirable for a machine to determine whether or not to pull the trigger (and really, it's moot given policy - which I cited). I just pointed out that 2013 was an eternity ago for those fields; even though classifier error (which you refer to) is still a problem - especially for image recognition algorithms - current multi-sensor fusion techniques are mitigating some of those shortcomings. (But...before you write another 10-page rebuttal, I will add a disclaimer: Not completely, which is why most algorithms cannot recognize objects and patterns the way that human operators can.)

I just do hope you understand that IRL, if you grandstand people the way that you just did with me, you will alienate them. Might want to temper it a bit; sometimes, showing off how much you know can backfire in certain social situations.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/art...ng_115283.html

(Now that I see the date in my browser, I was wrong when I said the article just came out - it came out last month, but it only just showed up in my Facebook feed on Friday.)

One other point: I don't disagree with your article's premise that the cost savings of UAVs compared to manned aircraft have often proven dubious (cost overruns are probably one of the reasons that the U.S. Navy is pausing MQ-4C Triton production). However, IMHO, that says as much about the need for acquisition reform as it does inherent shortcomings of UAVs.

https://nypost.com/2020/06/12/the-re...o-opting-name/

Don't you just love it when an attempt to pander for a pat on the back results in a kick in the balls? :D

Oops. It's 2020 and people (in this case the legal rep for the band) still fail to spend five minutes on Google.

Jesus, now it's becoming racist just to utter the term "Civil War." What next, rename south on the compass to something else? :rolleyes:

Do any of you happen to know the make of these gloves?

https://www.glockstore.com/assets/im...0&resizew=1000

Ennio Morricone, a famous film composer and frequently heard in spaghetti westerns, has passed away at 91. RIP, and thank you for all the beauty you gave the world.

RIP, Maestro...

PIG Full Dexterity Tactical Alpha Gloves.

That's a shame. Rest in peace.

Thank you.

One hell of a crappy Krinkov AK build. This gave me a good laugh xD

Words fail me.

Found another movie that rips off the Cyberdyne shootout from Terminator 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdgJYFerbJk

Ripped off? How about straight-up jacked stock footage from T2?

Funny how in this movie, one guy with one H&K MP5K and a Street Sweeper shotgun manages to do the same amount of damage (and fire off the same amount of rounds) as a dude who has a Minigun and a rotary grenade launcher.

That's what I meant.

Same thing with Militia and the guy using an SR-9 in place of the minigun. Those are some fantastic groupings for a battle rifle that's practically uncontrollable on full auto. :p

Okay, I have to call complete and total BS on this.

https://mashable.com/article/metal-m...-utah-welcome/

Edit: And now, after its location was kept secret, it's been found by the host of a TV show.

https://www.deseret.com/entertainmen...rs-dave-sparks

Awfully convenient. :rolleyes:

The latest Windows update bricked my PC, deleted all of the system restore points before the update, made it so that Windows would not boot from a recovery USB only a DVD, but the recovery DVD ISO is now 4.77GB when a normal DVD is 4.7GB. Thank god I could recover it from a Synology backup, because if I had to rely on Microsoft I would have been screwed, but I still wasted the whole day on this BS. Turns out that the original issue was caused by the software for my Corsair mouse, so that thing is literally on the fireplace right now. And to top off the day, I also tested positive for COVID so right now i am feeling pretty nostalgic for 2020.

2020 be all like

https://media.giphy.com/media/zh4cWqhN20wy4/giphy.gif

Anyone want to own Brian's Toyota Supra from The Fast and the Furious? Well, your chance is upon us.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enth...cid=uxbndlbing

You'll probably need a good few million for it, though.

From Discord.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...lla.em4188.png

I think Ubisoft is taking their loot mechanics a little too far.

https://i.redd.it/mqq8cemabcz21.png

Yikes. :eek:

Maybe you guys can help me identify a movie that a scene I remember appears in.

It's a mid-air hijacking movie where, in the climax after the hijackers had been taken care of, they were trying to land the passenger jet, but miss the runway and pass too low over a parking garage and a Ford pickup truck gets stuck on the front landing gear. An F-14 pursuing the jet, after being ordered to shoot it down, then uses its cannon to blow the truck off the landing gear so the plane can land.

I thought it was Executive Decision, but it wasn't. I've even scoured the web for the scene, but the only thing that comes up is that old TV ad with the fake video of a passenger plane using a pickup truck as a substitute front landing gear.

Turbulence from 1997? I have never seen it but it come up when I google "hijack film plane parking lot truck" and seems like a match.

That's the one. I want to hopefully get CW Lemoine to do a react video about it for his "Mover Ruins Movies" YouTube series because I'd like to see his reaction to that sequence and I've been searching forever for the movie in question.

Well, the human race is done.

https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-xe...000809015.html

We had a good run, guys. It's been real.

The security contractors at the site I work in wanted to send my department a P90 and some Glock 17s as surplus property, then went ahead and did so after we told them to wait, and it nearly caused a giant shitstorm until someone actually pulled them out of the plastic tote (no lock or label or anything) they were shipped in and explained they were basically fancy Nintendo Zappers for some training thing. We have handled firearms before, even things like 40mm grenade launchers, but usually they stay in whatever arms room or armory they're already in, until it's time to transfer or destroy them