if the chopper and the 3d laser cam is relatively cheap and attach a news camera, then they can deploy like tens or even hundreds of this in iraq, then we can watch the gunfight like we are watching CounterStrike.

BratPAQ

low = more visible and easier to shoot down right?

jdbaile3

@BratPAQ: Do iraqi insurgents (freedom fighters if you prefer) shout things like 'PWNT!' and "OMG US INFIDELS HACK!"?

shockwaver

one step closer to robotic attack drones

GreyHammer

@jdbaile3: It depends on what you are shooting it down with. If you are pelleting it with AK47 rounds then, yeah, it would be easier. If you are shooting a surface-to-air missile then flying low is (somewhat) safer because you'll be detected much later, being in radar shadow and all, and the missile will have very hard time maneuvering in the short distance before it overshoots you. And of course if you are using the UAV to rescue soldiers, which is one of the intended applications of this technology, you'd sooner or later have to fly low and land.

lurch_mojoff

Unmanned news/traffic drones could become common.

After the horrific crashes of the last couple of years I can't see it as being a bad thing.

strider_mt2k

Can it dodge fast moving objects like birds, other manned or unmanned aircraft, or anything at all the comes at it other than from the front?

Barcard

@BratPAQ: I wouldn't expect to see anything like that because it is a serious breach in OPSEC, and can endanger the lives of troops operating in the area by giving up their positions and alerting the enemy to their activities. Kind of like what that assclown Geraldo did when he was embedded in the beginning of the Iraq War.

TOWken

There was some comedian, I think it was Ellen Degeneres, who did a whole bit about why planes need to fly Soooooo high. Why can't they fly really low so if you do crash, you only fall 50 feet.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

@jdbaile3: Actually no. the higher it is, the easier it is to get a bearing and shoot. If it's flying low, the sound doesn't give you enough warning, and by the time it whizzes over you, you might get a shot or two off. But there is always the "Golden BB", which nothing can prevent.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

but wait - 40 km/h? Lemme get my crossbow, that sounds like a heck of an interesting target practise;-)

yogibimbi

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: ever tried jumping off, say, a 10 m (33 ft to some) tower into a pool of water and landing somewhat unfortunately? Well, imagine that happening, but on concrete or normal soil, and 50 ft. all of the sudden are not so little. It basically kills you just as well, but with a higher probability of leaving you paralyzed. Take your pick.

yogibimbi

@yogibimbi: Well, you also aren't in a huge aluminum tube, which absorbs most of the forces. If the plane is at 50 feet and loses power, you belly slide. If you are at 30,000 feet, you hit hard.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

@mricyfire:

*isn't

mricyfire

24mph? that is going anywhere...the injured troops wont have a chance at getting home, you could catch up to it on a go-ped or golf kart.

mricyfire

This sort of tech will be necessary for our "flying cars" that should be here any decade now.

Comrade GadgetPlay, Fellow Traveler

@mricyfire: This is just an experimental test of the tech, not the finished product.

Comrade GadgetPlay, Fellow Traveler

@jdbaile3: Not true. Flying low and being able to identify and maneuver around obstacles allows the drone to use the terrain as cover. A defensive technique used by military helicopter pilot known as NOE (Nap-of -the-earth) flight. Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nap-of-the-earth

LatimerChrysaor

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: You do realize planes can do unpowered landings, right?

TheLostVikings

and if a gust of wind picks up? i mean if its 5m like they say it is, wind becomes a factor.

xb3ngx