Navy has first test flight of X-47, unmanned, no human operator, half billion $, killbot

[Anti Federalist]

Yay, SKYNET!

The X-47B is the Navy’s first unmanned stealth bomber drone, and on Fridy (sic) it completed a 29-minute test flight. How does it differ from, say, a Predator drone? The X-47B can be operated entirely by a computer, removing the need for a human to operatete (sic) the controls. And it’s also the first drone capable of taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier.

(Shit, Beck needs some proof readers. - AF)

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/navys-first-unmanned-stealth-bomber-completes-29-minute-test-flight/

 

[Sola_Fide]

Isn't it interesting that we devise machines that do the killing for us?

It used to be that war was two groups of men violently and personally chopping each other's limbs off. Now we kill people by remote control airplane.

I wonder what effect this has on us?

 

[Anti Federalist]

Isn't it interesting that we devise machines that do the killing for us?

It used to be that war was two groups of men violently and personally chopping each other's limbs off. Now we kill people by remote control airplane.

I wonder what effect this has on us?

What effect?

Short term? It makes killing much, much easier, less gore than playing video games or watching a movie.

Long term? The machines start killing us on "autorun" programs, without any reason or human intervention.

I do not like the long term trends that are being started here.

This is not going to end well.

 

[Kludge]

So guns are supposed to be the great equalizer, right?

Well, what are we supposed to do about this?

Maybe Danke's on to something with libertarians joining the military...

 

[Sola_Fide]

Yeah...I agree.

 

[Legend1104]

Look at the bright side. this means that more distruction will take place. That means more jobs.

 

[LukeP]

Look at the bright side. this means that more distruction will take place. That means more jobs.

Except for the pilot who just lost his.

 

[Anti Federalist]

So guns are supposed to be the great equalizer, right?

Well, what are we supposed to do about this?

Maybe Danke's on to something with libertarians joining the military...

At least with human operators you could use the "Starship Troopers" scenario.

This won't even have that.

Join? Join what? What will there be to join? A small cadre of hand picked, uber vetted technicians, that will be under total surveillance.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

Yeap...

Easily be used against the people, anyone and no one knows who killed you or your friends.

Death by ambiguous distance... 1984 wheels continue to roll.

 

[oyarde]

What effect?

Short term? It makes killing much, much easier, less gore than playing video games or watching a movie.

Long term? The machines start killing us on "autorun" programs, without any reason or human intervention.

I do not like the long term trends that are being started here.

This is not going to end well.

It definately has some negatives huh ?

 

[Cowlesy]

But you see, if we build weapons so deadly, and so able to acutely target anyone anywhere, then over time all will be obedient, less someone places a call to have a true believer get behind the joystick of a radar base to JDAM some neighborhood designated by the central command as a threat to national security.

It's a good opportunity to drop that quote we all liked:

“As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are only doing their duty, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.”~George Orwell, London, 1941

Shit, now it'll just be programming in the GPS coordinates and letting technology do the rest. You can probably set this baby up to go do the mission while you get some shuteye.

Law of unintended consequences, I believe, is going to strike again very soon when we make mass killing this easy.

 

[Maximus]

America magazine had an excellent piece last year on the toll that un-manned drones were taking on the "pilots" who control them. Basically the article said that working 10hr+ shifts while blowing people up and then sitting with your family at a dining room table immediately afterwards was causing too much conflict in peoples lives.

Here it is:
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=12179

Also talks about the legality of bombing Pakistan

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

BTW... this is the descendant of the canceled Navy AX A12 junk

then... oops

 

[Anti Federalist]

But you see, if we build weapons so deadly, and so able to acutely target anyone anywhere, then over time all will be obedient, less someone places a call to have a true believer get behind the joystick of a radar base to JDAM some neighborhood designated by the central command as a threat to national security.

It's a good opportunity to drop that quote we all liked:

“As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are only doing their duty, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.”~George Orwell, London, 1941

Shit, now it'll just be programming in the GPS coordinates and letting technology do the rest. You can probably set this baby up to go do the mission while you get some shuteye.

Law of unintended consequences, I believe, is going to strike again very soon when we make mass killing this easy.

I'd give you +rep for the most timely quote of the day, if I had any ammo.

Pray for a solar flare of biblical proportions...or storm the GPS constellation ground control stations.

 

[Grubb556]

So if LBJ had these toys, would he just continue the Vietnam War, knowing that he didn't need to risk American lives ?

 

[Cowlesy]

I'd give you +rep for the most timely quote of the day, if I had any ammo.

Pray for a solar flare of biblical proportions...or storm the GPS constellation ground control stations.

"But it'll keep our pilots safe!"

Really, how many B-2's have we had shot down by the enemy?

We might as well speed up production on ROBOCOP and T-1000's so LEOs and troops can play live video-games with the citizenry too.

 

[Anti Federalist]

"But it'll keep our pilots safe!"

Really, how many B-2's have we had shot down by the enemy?

We might as well speed up production on ROBOCOP and T-1000's so LEOs and troops can play live video-games with the citizenry too.

Shall We Play A Game?

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

It's all to take the human individual decision out of the mix. An individual, alone, can judge something to be morally wrong. But if its Brass looking over your shoulder with security grunts around... well you get the feel of that. The big push will be no billions of bucks to ship, house, fuel, feed, a force overseas. now they can conduct Military Industrial Complex OPS @ a discount, then spew the safety/saving money propaganda to peasants, mundanes, & sheeple.

"But it'll keep our pilots safe!"

Really, how many B-2's have we had shot down by the enemy?

We might as well speed up production on ROBOCOP and T-1000's so LEOs and troops can play live video-games with the citizenry too.

 

[Dr.3D]

Well this must be a good thing. Remember Gort?

He was built to keep those pesky humans under control.

 

[pcosmar]

Best of all it will prevent stuff like this from happening.