BLACKFIVE: I Can Think of a Few Uses for This

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I Can Think of a Few Uses for This

Posted By COB6

A remotely piloted VTOL aircraft is being tested that could come in real handy when the boys are out killing tangos.

A Virginia based company is hoping to test-fly a verticle take-off and landing drone before the end of this year that, ultimately, could do triple duty as strike vehicle, medevac or special ops insertion/extraction plane.

The Excalibur is currently being developed as an armed, tactical unmanned aerial vehicle by Aurora Flight Sciences of Manassas, Va., capable of carrying Hellfire anti-tank missiles and Viper Strike missiles.

I'm not sure about medevac, particularly in non-ambulatory cases but I can see some significant uses for this little baby.

Having said that, imagine conducting a HALO/HAHO insertion with a cache of additional equipment flying into the DZRP minutes later? Pretty cool, eh?

This could include almost anything (within lift capacity) like additional ammo, demolitions or even interpreters (I'd pay to see that). How about motorcycles? Now that would be way cool.

When operating deep in "Indian Country" it would be nice to know you have a SPIES capable aircarft on station for immediate extraction. This would be like a Fulton Surface to Air Recovery System (STARS) that wouldn't require a C130 per individual. It probably wouldn't scare the living hell out of every poor soul who had to use it either.

I'm sure a bunch of NUGs at Fort Bragg are already coming up with some ridiculous testing for this thing.

Is that a Kegerator in the right rear?

This thing just keeps getting better!