Drone Copter Flops Half Its Missions; Navy Still Wants More

[Feuer Frei!]

Well, maybe the question should go to the Senate, the Army and Northrop.
Wired is just reporting it. Were the missions live or just practice runs? If live, i can understand wired's queries.
If not then the article is a little unfair. They should realise that it's not combat-ready and that is not surprising.
I fear the prior is infact the case.
They even linked to the 'not ready 'till 2012' article. To be fair.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

Were the missions live or just practice runs?

They are both, its an "Operational Evaluation". Basically the Navy is taking an experimental piece of kit out in the field and seeing where the bugs are at under "life fire" conditions. Its happens all the time.

@ Steve: I loved the DASH, an idea way ahead of its time. Its a real shame they failed to work all the bugs out of the system. The DASH was even rated as a nuclear depth bomb delivery platform as I recall.

[Krauter]

I was more interested in the linked Seal drone named "the Beast". Kind of interesting logic behind building a stealth drone to do surveillance on Al-Quaeda.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Krauter

I was more interested in the linked Seal drone named "the Beast". Kind of interesting logic behind building a stealth drone to do surveillance on Al-Quaeda.

It was called "The Beast Of Khandhar" since that was where it was first spotted a year ago.

A stealth drone makes sense if you need to track AQ and other baddies when they cross borders in to other nations air defense zones (*cough* *cough* Iran).

[Krauter]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

It was called "The Beast Of Khandhar" since that was where it was first spotted a year ago.

A stealth drone makes sense if you need to track AQ and other baddies when they cross borders in to other nations air defense zones (*cough* *cough* Iran).

Well thats what I mean, it's interesting to look at what missions it has performed as well as though it might've. It also offers a glimpse as to what the US really things of Pakistan as well