F-16 Fighter Jet Flies With No Pilot
- 11 years ago
The United States Air Force has successfully flown a Lockhead Martin F-16 fighter jet with no one in the cockpit.
The aviation industry is undergoing a massive change due to the drone technology.
The United States Air Force has successfully flown a Lockhead Martin F-16 fighter jet with no one in the cockpit.
Controlled by two Air Force pilots on the ground, the jet flew over the Gulf of Mexico, executing maneuvers such as a barrel roll, and a split S.
It reached speeds of up to Mach 1 point 47 and an altitude of 40 thousand feet, even though the jet had previously been sitting at an Arizona airbase for the past 15 years.
Military contractor Boeing retrofitted the F-16 jet to be operated like a drone, and they suggest that it can be used in training as a live target for inexperienced pilots to practice firing while they fly.
There is some controversy about using fighter jets as military robots in war.
Professor Noel Sharkey from the University of Sheffield said: “There is every reason to believe that these so-called 'targets' could become a test bed for drone warfare, moving us closer and closer to automated killing.”
The aviation industry is undergoing a massive change due to the drone technology.
The United States Air Force has successfully flown a Lockhead Martin F-16 fighter jet with no one in the cockpit.
Controlled by two Air Force pilots on the ground, the jet flew over the Gulf of Mexico, executing maneuvers such as a barrel roll, and a split S.
It reached speeds of up to Mach 1 point 47 and an altitude of 40 thousand feet, even though the jet had previously been sitting at an Arizona airbase for the past 15 years.
Military contractor Boeing retrofitted the F-16 jet to be operated like a drone, and they suggest that it can be used in training as a live target for inexperienced pilots to practice firing while they fly.
There is some controversy about using fighter jets as military robots in war.
Professor Noel Sharkey from the University of Sheffield said: “There is every reason to believe that these so-called 'targets' could become a test bed for drone warfare, moving us closer and closer to automated killing.”