Northrop Grumman X-47B: The Billion Dollar Drone

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Пікірлер: 675

  • @megaprojects9649
    @megaprojects9649 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks to Athletic Greens for sponsoring this video. Get a 1-year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D3K2 & 5 travel packs FREE with your first purchase! go to athleticgreens.com/megaprojects

  • @MakaDawgG

    @MakaDawgG

    Жыл бұрын

    yum

  • @rackneh

    @rackneh

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm waiting for AG2, sorry Simon.

  • @malcolmjcullen

    @malcolmjcullen

    Жыл бұрын

    It's £80 a month, FFS!

  • @jaredyoung5353

    @jaredyoung5353

    Жыл бұрын

    I’m sure we will see all this tech show up in the B21

  • @MonkeyspankO

    @MonkeyspankO

    Жыл бұрын

    say "Vitta-mens" more!

  • @Username-dy5rd
    @Username-dy5rd Жыл бұрын

    Interesting fact: Drone was so accurate with landings. They knew which arresting cable it would catch, and had to adjust where it would land because it was denting the flight deck with tail hook from hitting the same spot over and over.

  • @AlanSanchez-ww9qb

    @AlanSanchez-ww9qb

    Жыл бұрын

    Wow, precision!

  • @tokyosmash

    @tokyosmash

    Жыл бұрын

    @@AlanSanchez-ww9qb proper use of “precision” instead of accuracy… nice

  • @JohnDoe-yq9ml

    @JohnDoe-yq9ml

    Жыл бұрын

    I also call bs. It’s probably way over blown. Pretty sure this is a myth

  • @Weakest_Bulgarian

    @Weakest_Bulgarian

    Жыл бұрын

    @@JohnDoe-yq9ml source?

  • @polduran

    @polduran

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Weakest_Bulgarian he is not the one making the clame so ask the question to the right person.

  • @thaddeuslorusso4490
    @thaddeuslorusso4490 Жыл бұрын

    Even though X-47 is a Northrop program, it actually had many parts and systems made by other contractors. If you notice on the nose gear door there is a Lockheed Skunk Works logo. We made the payload bay doors for it. Myself and two of my other buddies worked on them.

  • @lalo360elite

    @lalo360elite

    Жыл бұрын

    Bro... 🤫 before they pull our clearance! Lol

  • @thaddeuslorusso4490

    @thaddeuslorusso4490

    Жыл бұрын

    @@lalo360elite I gather you're a 600 series bldg alumni as well????

  • @ErikisOfficial

    @ErikisOfficial

    7 ай бұрын

    You spray for lockeed?

  • @ErikisOfficial

    @ErikisOfficial

    7 ай бұрын

    ​@lalo360elite why was your clearance pulled

  • @1winlock
    @1winlock Жыл бұрын

    The whole point of X47B was that 6 of them could replace/free up 18 F-18's from refueling duty. Thus increasing the combat ability of a carrier.

  • @geodkyt

    @geodkyt

    Жыл бұрын

    The tanker mission really is the most critical one for a drone to fulfill. It's literally nearly a perfect fit in terms of mission requirements, reduced stress on the rest of thebair wing, and the fact that you can take more risks with a drone tanker than you can with a manned one, as tankers aren't typically terribly great at defending themselves if pressed (and that includes fighters with buddy tanks). While expensive, Robby the Robot doesn't require SAR to ensure he doesn't become a POW (even if it goes down on land, you can just cruise missiles the site at worst case), no lr are we going to be sending any notification parties to the factory to express how deeply the US givernment regrets the loss. The inherently stealthy nature and high subsonic speed of the X-47B also helped with survivability as a tanker - whioe.loitering to tank strike fighters returning from enemy airspace, its hard to see - and if it gets seen (especiallybafter tanking strike fighters either on their way in or out), it can run and hope to drop off radar. The second most important missions are high risk strike or ISR missions - with a slight edge to the strike role (after all, we already have stealthy recon drones, but a noticeable lack of carrier based strike platforms that can loiter, search for targets, and so forth, without running inordinately high risks of somebody's family getting a flag in the very near future if the enemy has competent air defenses. Again, Robbie the Robot is expendable.

  • @GintaPPE1000

    @GintaPPE1000

    Жыл бұрын

    This. At best, it was also able to do the Predator and Reaper’s job of flying to a predetermined point and waiting for a signal to drop bombs. Its decision-making capability was limited, if it had any at all, and the onboard AI had no sense of self-preservation. The X-47 is far from the “loyal wingman the fighter mafia killed” that certain parts of the military commentary community call it.

  • @timothywertin7423

    @timothywertin7423

    Жыл бұрын

    2 minutes in before anything… wow

  • @bobdadnaila7708

    @bobdadnaila7708

    Жыл бұрын

    1 carrier airwing isn't going to dedicate 18 Hornets to refueling configuration. Maybe 4 at the most. Another 2 configured for electronic warfare and the rest for attack and fighter. But the drones do free those up. It's really only a matter of time before almost all combat air operations are drone

  • @intercommerce

    @intercommerce

    Жыл бұрын

    Do they use Hornets as refueling tankers currently?

  • @harlyquin
    @harlyquin Жыл бұрын

    i love videos that start with almost 2 minutes of ads

  • @houyuanjia83
    @houyuanjia83 Жыл бұрын

    If anybody here is an Ace Combat Fan, they'd recognize this drone from the 7th installment as MQ 101. It's scary how much the two resemble each other. Let's hope that they're not hiding an "Arsenal Bird".

  • @spannerdan4926

    @spannerdan4926

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes, ace combat fan. I'm thinking more ace combat 6 p112 Aigaion launching a heap of these.

  • @sugandesenuds6663

    @sugandesenuds6663

    Жыл бұрын

    or arsenal gear....

  • @killerwhale__

    @killerwhale__

    12 күн бұрын

    Bf2042 just copy and pasted this design

  • @herbertkeithmiller
    @herbertkeithmiller Жыл бұрын

    10:50 the ground controller's reaction to getting that aircraft launched from a simulated carrier catapult is priceless.

  • @martinstallard2742
    @martinstallard2742 Жыл бұрын

    3:31 a risky investment 7:36 a pinnacle of aviation 12:38 going forward

  • @TheSilmarillian

    @TheSilmarillian

    Жыл бұрын

    Nice indeed tk

  • @walterdayrit675

    @walterdayrit675

    Жыл бұрын

    13:26 the resulting Chinese drone thanks to a billion dollars of "creatively acquired" classified American research materials. 😂😂😂

  • @sultanaljuhani1571

    @sultanaljuhani1571

    Жыл бұрын

    thanks mate, beard guy fucks around a lot, acting British and shit. but u saved a lot of time with your highlights

  • @junglelane
    @junglelane Жыл бұрын

    I get the feeling they are just being hidden yet still in use.

  • @JustaPilot1

    @JustaPilot1

    Жыл бұрын

    There's only two but ok.

  • @SeaCrane1

    @SeaCrane1

    Жыл бұрын

    I mean they did the same with the F117 Nighthawk. Always a possibility lol

  • @JustaPilot1

    @JustaPilot1

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SeaCrane1 Yeah but this has been in the public eye since day one. The Navy used to fly them out of NAS PAX River during the development program. Sometimes they made the local news.

  • @foracal5608

    @foracal5608

    Жыл бұрын

    May have gone through with production maybe but i think the Valkyrie drones and other drones are out

  • @SeaCrane1

    @SeaCrane1

    Жыл бұрын

    @@JustaPilot1 that's entirely fair. I'm just hoping that it either didn't entirely go to waste domestically or that there was an alternative program that won out

  • @intercommerce
    @intercommerce Жыл бұрын

    Remarkable that just over 100 years ago, the airplane has gone from canvas and wooden biplane to this futuristic design. Northrop, and several German companies, invented the flying wing.

  • @Kiefer0612

    @Kiefer0612

    Жыл бұрын

    Several German companies is one way to put it lol

  • @ascensionindustries9631
    @ascensionindustries9631 Жыл бұрын

    The military took what they learned from the X-45 tests to create the X-47. I believe what was learned from the X-47 will be incorporated into the NGAD wingman drones, plus more. We're just getting started.

  • @attemptedunkindness3632

    @attemptedunkindness3632

    Жыл бұрын

    Pretty much this. All the Boeing folks at VX-1 treated the X-47 as the second coming of Christ trying to get the Navy on board with it. I'm a simple country-minded person when it comes to my multi-million, multi-mission platforms. Frankly, I see the X-47 working best as a low-risk IFR platform. Packing ordinance on it and using it as a beatstick wingman in dangerous airspace is going to cause a lot of expensive avionics to wind up in who-gives-a-shit, enemy territory. A propaganda win waiting to happen.

  • @EddyA1337

    @EddyA1337

    Жыл бұрын

    Either way, it's looking more like 6th gen's defining features will be wingman drones with state of the art AI though. Remember these drones can pull many more G's than a pilot operated craft too.

  • @protorhinocerator142

    @protorhinocerator142

    Жыл бұрын

    @@EddyA1337 The wingman drones will be a real game changer. It's a completely different concept for aerial warfare. Not really even fighter jets anymore. We're moving past all that. They could make fighter jets obsolete. I mean we'll still use fighter jets just in case, but much like the battleship, fighter jets will have an increasingly reduced role. The last battleship, Missouri, was decommissioned in 1998, only 55 years after the aircraft carrier made battleships pretty much obsolete. Going by that, if we got the new bombers with wingman drones today it could be 2077 before the last F-22 is decommissioned.

  • @EddyA1337

    @EddyA1337

    Жыл бұрын

    @@protorhinocerator142 makes you wonder if all those gravity defying UAPs are unmanned aerial drones. But ya I agree I think AI with the ability to pull major G's are going to change the game as you said.

  • @samuel5916
    @samuel5916 Жыл бұрын

    Actually this didn’t go to waste, they just made it a black project. The Air Force has a new highly-classified stealth drone. People refer to it as the RQ-180 but we don’t know the official designation. It was caught on camera by two people last year near Area 51. It’s a very large, flying wing design that’s painted white to camouflage at high altitudes. It’s believed to be made by Northrop Grumman in the same facility they’re using to build the B-21. Supposedly it’s a long range reconnaissance drone that replaces other non-stealth drones like the Global Hawk which are all being retired. It looks like a scaled up X-47B and has been rumored to be operational since 2015. Speculation aside, we know for a fact it exists and was made by Northrop Grumman.

  • @Tounguepunchfartbox

    @Tounguepunchfartbox

    Жыл бұрын

    Are u sure that wasn’t just the B-21

  • @samuel5916

    @samuel5916

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Tounguepunchfartbox Yes, the first picture was taken in 2020 before the B-21 prototypes were even built. From the pictures, it clearly has a smaller body and different engine placement. One was photographed operating near China last year which wouldn’t make any sense if it was a prototype B-21. This is an operational plane already. The Air Force started retiring Global Hawk ISR drones in large quantities last year. They made tongue-in-cheek statements about them no longer being needed with references to black projects they can’t discuss.

  • @Tounguepunchfartbox

    @Tounguepunchfartbox

    Жыл бұрын

    @@samuel5916 interesting. I’ll look into it.

  • @AeroLowdown
    @AeroLowdown Жыл бұрын

    Good timing! I particularly enjoy the military aircraft Megaprojects, keep them coming!

  • @collincutler2278
    @collincutler2278 Жыл бұрын

    I got to see both X47 a and b when I worked at NG in Palmdale. Truly amazing drones. The X47B is much bigger than you think.

  • @nickhahn3276
    @nickhahn3276 Жыл бұрын

    I was onboard the Roosevelt when they brought one with us for a cruise back around 2015. Very cool to see in person in the hangar bay.

  • @RAS_Squints
    @RAS_Squints Жыл бұрын

    'Alight Kiff, Let's show these freaks what a bloated runaway military budget can do!" -Zapp Branigain

  • @milesjohnson3796
    @milesjohnson3796 Жыл бұрын

    You should do one on the Stanley Mickelsen safeguard complex. Billions spent on a massive multi area military site in North Dakota most of which was decommissioned after only a handful of months.

  • @trolleriffic

    @trolleriffic

    Жыл бұрын

    The history of US ABM systems in general is fascinating. A big problem has always been inter-service rivalry caused by the fact the these systems were mainly planned for the defence of US strategic land based missiles against a Soviet first strike. The reason this was a problem was the those ICBMs belonged to the Air Force while ABM development was being done by the Army so the flyboys didn't like the idea of all that money being given to the Army to defend Air Force missiles when it could be given to the Air Force to get more missiles or better missiles and deploy them more securely such as Midgetman or rail-mobile MX. In the end none of those schemes got off the ground despite major investment and successful proof of concept demonstrations.

  • @Shmalentine
    @Shmalentine Жыл бұрын

    "A bit of inspiration". How diplomatic! 🤣🤣🤣

  • @e.s.5529
    @e.s.5529 Жыл бұрын

    one huge thing you didn't mention but are not surprised about, and in your defense, it was just confirmed about 10 days ago. The B-21 Raider which will be unveiled to the public for the first time in the 2nd week of December has been acknowledged by the US Airforce Research Laboratory ...the B-21 can be 100% autonomous. There is a direct correlation between autonomous capability and refueling unmanned. The data from the x-47b project as well as the NAVY'S drone refueling program, just FYI.

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah I’m looking forward to the unveiling.

  • @bartfoster1311

    @bartfoster1311

    Жыл бұрын

    I really doubt he knew because this was probably filmed at least a month ago. I am looking forward to seeing more of the B-21.

  • @e.s.5529

    @e.s.5529

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bartfoster1311 yes , it was just publicly acknowledged 10’days ago

  • @nikobelic4251

    @nikobelic4251

    Жыл бұрын

    The B-21 was always supposed to be optionally manned

  • @6ixpool520

    @6ixpool520

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm curious what full autonomy means here. Like defend itself if threatened levels of autonomy? Should we be worried about skynet becoming a thing? Lol

  • @ryanv2023
    @ryanv2023 Жыл бұрын

    The B didn’t carry even half of the sensors, nor having the AI and detection capabilities that you mentioned. It was designed to and capable of carrying some array of sensors but in the end it’s main objective was to demonstrate the ability of a drone to be operated from carrier environment including in flight refueling

  • @backpacker3421

    @backpacker3421

    Жыл бұрын

    Gee, what a great way to spend an entire year's worth of our military budget. Probably a much cheaper way to figure out if that was possible...

  • @attemptedunkindness3632

    @attemptedunkindness3632

    Жыл бұрын

    @@backpacker3421 You clearly do not know wtf we do at VX-1, then.

  • @LoisoPondohva

    @LoisoPondohva

    Жыл бұрын

    @@backpacker3421 1 year worth of your military budget? Do you live in Lichtenstein or something?

  • @ceoofconfusion100

    @ceoofconfusion100

    Жыл бұрын

    @@backpacker3421 the military has a budget of 722 billion dollars yearly,did you search up another countries budget?

  • @kalrandom7387

    @kalrandom7387

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ceoofconfusion100 and that's just the official budget, is that black book stuff that jumps price tag up even more.

  • @attemptedunkindness3632
    @attemptedunkindness3632 Жыл бұрын

    I remember when they hauled the X47B on a flatbed to Pax River (it's first carrier landing test from shore), my collateral duty was gate guard, but my normal job as an AT made me well aware and informed that the X47 was on the way. The thing comes in, as expected and at the end of my watch. Duty phone starts ringing, it's some local Maryland newspaper, asking me what came on base. Not having a good answer, I state they have the wrong number and hang up (even after my phone-answer intro stating I was the place they were looking for). Another ring, this time the Baltimore Sun or something. Pure panic. I call the CDO, he was clearly asleep. I just get a grumbled and "Mrggmhgm... Neither confirm nor deny" **Hangs Up** So, I parrot this: "I am sorry Ma'am, I can neither confirm, nor deny. " **Hang up** Fast forward to Monday, every local newspaper headline: "UFO! UFO! OMG PAX RIVER HAS A UFO!" Don't give the Media an inch, they will take a mile, everytime.

  • @michaelfranek7846

    @michaelfranek7846

    Жыл бұрын

    Bro I looked at the footage of 47a landing and was 100% sure something like this had to happen :D

  • @thejesterofdarkness

    @thejesterofdarkness

    Жыл бұрын

    Should've told them that Max showed up after hitting an electrical transmission tower & was rattling off the build of a Big Mac.

  • @shanemonsees4798
    @shanemonsees4798 Жыл бұрын

    I was a part of team that designed and manufactured the exhaust ducts on these aircraft. So stinking cool.

  • @JJ-si4qh
    @JJ-si4qh Жыл бұрын

    Glad to see our efforts helping others

  • @belledetector

    @belledetector

    Жыл бұрын

    Just because someone took a snapshot and went back to the garage to build an oversized RC plane out of aluminum and bondo filler, doesn´t mean they have the know-how to replicate the capabilities. Just look at the SU-57 and all the other foreign equipment that has been hyped, but ultimately turns out to be second tier or worse.

  • @SiliconRiot
    @SiliconRiot Жыл бұрын

    I live relatively close to Palmdale and have had a chance to see and photograph both the x-47A and B at the local airshows between 2005 and 2017

  • @firstlast9813
    @firstlast9813 Жыл бұрын

    Wait a minute! I just realized drones can daisy-chain fighter jets while being fueled by a tanker. If you have a squad of 3 (male) fighters, 2 tanker drones and one tanker, one drone can get fuel, and drop 2 (female) nozzles. The first nozzle connects to a pilot while the second nozzle connects to another tanker drone. The second tanker drone connects to the first tanker drone and drops 2 of the (female) nozzles for the 2 remaining pilots. This fills 3 pilots up at the same time and could increase the range of the mission since nobody has to wait their turn while burning fuel. And if there is a 5th generation (female) jet involved, at any time, the first drone can disconnect the entire group and keep sharing fuel from it's full tanks. This allows the 5th generation figher to get their turn too. Imagine continuing a mission with full 200% tanker drones beside you instead of 150% full ones (150% = Drone Fuel 100% + Shared Fuel 50%). My question is when are they going to make (male) tanker drones to deliver fuel to 5th and 6th generation fighters?

  • @jtjr26
    @jtjr26 Жыл бұрын

    I suspect that they will take everything they have learned about advanced UCAV platforms and incorporate it into their 6th generation programs for the component where either the jets themselves can be operated remotely/autonomously or thee are companion drones developed alongside the jets themselves. I doubt the RnD costs will go to waste.

  • @SomeRandomDevOpsGuy

    @SomeRandomDevOpsGuy

    Жыл бұрын

    Kind of sad for kids like me who watched top gun and dreamed of a career flying fighter jets. Even though I never achieved mine due to health complications, I would still wish future generations of kids to have such an exciting dream job. At least humans in space is coming back around!

  • @chrislong3938
    @chrislong3938 Жыл бұрын

    It's cool watching it refuel! Makes you wonder if it called the tanker up and said, "Hey! Fill 'er up!!!"

  • @zorakzoran1
    @zorakzoran1 Жыл бұрын

    Great video! i Love to see on about the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk

  • @spennie3607
    @spennie3607 Жыл бұрын

    Yep it'll be able to protect all them people living under and around bridges. Worth every penny

  • @glynharper
    @glynharper Жыл бұрын

    Always love your videos Simon!

  • @joshellis4966
    @joshellis49663 ай бұрын

    A 2 minute ad straight after a 30 second unskippable ad is CRAZY.

  • @garrettmastantuono8043
    @garrettmastantuono8043 Жыл бұрын

    Kind of surprised you've never done VentureStar. Great video as always Simon!!!

  • @andrewgause6971
    @andrewgause6971 Жыл бұрын

    I have a feeling that the Ukraine war showing that this is well and truly the Age of the Drone is probably going to give this thing a new lease on life...

  • @TheBooban

    @TheBooban

    Жыл бұрын

    USA pioneered drones in Afghanistan. But you are right, they seem to be dropping the ball now. They should be investing in mini drone swarms that would just over run the battlefield. But the military industrial complex actually doesn’t like innovation. They want to keep building big expensive things. They would lose alot of money if drones made everything obsolete.

  • @andrewgause6971

    @andrewgause6971

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TheBooban Yes, that it did. But I think the war in Ukraine also shows that they have a role to play against peer opponents as well. For all the pioneering we did, most (but not all) of their roles were as flying snipers and COIN ops. The drones in Ukraine are demonstrating that they can be used against... "traditional" hard and soft targets and be employeed in unexpected ways (like the number of basically commercial quad copters rigged up with explosives to drop on a BMP and whatnot).

  • @Obvsaninternetexpert

    @Obvsaninternetexpert

    Жыл бұрын

    It also seems to be the age of cheap drones.... Maybe Sometimes quantity is better then quality

  • @CaptainPrice360
    @CaptainPrice360 Жыл бұрын

    You really had me at "Mini Death Star"

  • @subliminus
    @subliminus Жыл бұрын

    I worked alongside this program at VX-23. Interesting aircraft, ultimately nothing more than a prototype.

  • @fr4me.01
    @fr4me.01 Жыл бұрын

    On a serious note I first saw this thing in a movie called Skyline. I immediately had to look them up. Very cool. Very useful in Arma 3 modded servers :)

  • @belledetector
    @belledetector Жыл бұрын

    It was a proof of concept demonstrator! - In 5-7 years these vehicles, will pop up everywhere. Most probably in the loyal wingman role for NGAD and/or as an autonomous air to surface platform, for precision guided munition. Scary development, but that´s where the trend is pointing.

  • @portcybertryx222
    @portcybertryx222 Жыл бұрын

    It might not have gone into production but all of these projects provide valuable insights and quick build times for future projects. I would imagine some of the sensor suite components found their way into the B21 , the flying wingman or even in the drones for the NGAD program. Also with regards to other countries building drones without any hard evidence it’s difficult to judge their capabilities. It’s one thing to fly a shell and it’s a whole other beast when sensor fusion and AI capabilities come into play. Autonomy is hard as any good robotics dev will tell you.

  • @S7eveThePira7e
    @S7eveThePira7e Жыл бұрын

    My older sister was one of the sailors on CVN 77 when X47B was being tested!

  • @attemptedunkindness3632

    @attemptedunkindness3632

    Жыл бұрын

    I was one of the sailors at the test and evaluation squadron who launched it from land to that fleet meat receptacle for it's first carrier landing.

  • @S7eveThePira7e

    @S7eveThePira7e

    Жыл бұрын

    @@attemptedunkindness3632 that's awesome!

  • @matios83

    @matios83

    Жыл бұрын

    I like turtle

  • @jimjunior
    @jimjunior9 ай бұрын

    I don't know if any of you watches the ads but Simon really knows how to sell a product

  • @tech-vp5xe
    @tech-vp5xe Жыл бұрын

    UAS OP here, please do a video of the Aquila drone from the early 1970 to 1980, it's our first attempt at current gen drones

  • @Fortunes.Fool.
    @Fortunes.Fool. Жыл бұрын

    4:38 Dude, teleportation will make for one hell of a Megaprojects episode.

  • @vincere_

    @vincere_

    Жыл бұрын

    They tried it with the Borealis... it didn't go so well.

  • @JessiBear
    @JessiBear Жыл бұрын

    I love how Simon pronounces vitamins 🤭

  • @CallMeByMyMatingName

    @CallMeByMyMatingName

    Жыл бұрын

    And says "sixth" like "sickth". British speach impediments / difficulties

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CallMeByMyMatingName - British English.🇬🇧 From the inventors of the language, correctly spoken. Not some bastardised colonial strangulated and simplified version.

  • @CallMeByMyMatingName

    @CallMeByMyMatingName

    Жыл бұрын

    It's not meant to make you upset at the differences. Don't live with so much pent up anger for someone other than yourself! I hope you find peace in your life somehow!

  • @Jedi.Toby.M
    @Jedi.Toby.M Жыл бұрын

    I'd say this does have a bit of click bait to it, but honestly the man has like 25 channels and I have yet to be 100% sure Simon isn't a robot. Great content! Cheers!

  • @travisolander4749

    @travisolander4749

    Жыл бұрын

    Your comment doesn’t make any sense. The title of this video is literally [thing] + [cost]. In fact, I notice that for some reason, it’s always the aircraft videos that bring out the weirdos and pseudo know-it-alls in the comments. Nobody cares. Just enjoy the thing.

  • @Grizzly-qw9bt
    @Grizzly-qw9bt Жыл бұрын

    You can call them what you want but they will always be known to me as MQ-101

  • @attemptedunkindness3632

    @attemptedunkindness3632

    Жыл бұрын

    Another man of culture, I see. The MQ-8 shall always be the Fire Chicken to those who know.

  • @vincere_

    @vincere_

    Жыл бұрын

    It's a big maze.

  • @kkrobertson1
    @kkrobertson1 Жыл бұрын

    Nice to see our dollars being well spent!

  • @steelekelley5761
    @steelekelley5761 Жыл бұрын

    Similar to the Talon Project in the film Stealth. The future is now!

  • @williampulley
    @williampulley Жыл бұрын

    Projects like this help to keep the Chinese Military R&D budget close to zero.

  • @pierrebernard7665
    @pierrebernard7665 Жыл бұрын

    So basically, we are a few years away from a real life Ace Combat 7 video game. Dr Schroeder would be proud ^^'

  • @oO0Xenos0Oo
    @oO0Xenos0Oo Жыл бұрын

    To be fair, a development cost of under 1 billion dollars is relativly cheap compared to the money spend on the development of modern human piloted fighter jets and bombers.

  • @WilliamBrinkley45
    @WilliamBrinkley45 Жыл бұрын

    The X37-B is even more fascinating. Its space capable, can launch satellites, missiles and tactical nukes and on a full tank of fuel can go into space and just chill for years or until it’s given further instructions.

  • @It-b-Blair

    @It-b-Blair

    Жыл бұрын

    That’s a chilling fun fact…

  • @matthewdopler8997
    @matthewdopler8997 Жыл бұрын

    Apparently the Ford class carriers are designed to launch drones so I would imagine drones being a big part of the naval fleet in the future.

  • @eaphantom9214
    @eaphantom9214 Жыл бұрын

    Whoa hello! I instantly recognised this Drone from the Thumbnail alone! From Ace Combat 7 2019! Awacs Sky keeper : Drones confirmed as MQ-101s! Fore runners for the arsenal bird! Me : Wowza, they're based on real Drones? 😮 Operated by the US 🇺🇸 Navy

  • @CopyableOak

    @CopyableOak

    Жыл бұрын

    Surprised you didn't know this, the MQ-99 Drones are also based upon a real-life UCAV, the EADS Barracuda - albeit with slightly altered dimensions, presumably because Project ACES were unable to secure a license

  • @eaphantom9214

    @eaphantom9214

    Жыл бұрын

    @@CopyableOak Most likley that latter half of what you said, also I did not I knew about Drones of course, but Not either of the specific Drones variants mentioned

  • @killerwhale__

    @killerwhale__

    12 күн бұрын

    Bf2042

  • @harrier1830
    @harrier1830 Жыл бұрын

    Why do I get the feeling that the "UFO" sightings were just x47s😅

  • @clarencehopkins7832
    @clarencehopkins7832 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent stuff bro

  • @davidrutherford6311
    @davidrutherford6311 Жыл бұрын

    A similar program in Australia is the Loyal Wingman by Boeing which is testing close escort and protection of planes like the E-7 Wedgetail.

  • @paulmurray8922
    @paulmurray8922 Жыл бұрын

    With history restarting with a bang in 2022, it's safe to assume we haven't seen the last of the X-47 and its descendants.

  • @dedmeet11
    @dedmeet11 Жыл бұрын

    Simon said 'oooowas' like the word 'was' had to be buffered or downloaded. That made me chuckle

  • @rustyshaklferd1897
    @rustyshaklferd1897 Жыл бұрын

    The fighter/air superiority units will be game changers. The current platforms are limited to 9ish g’s due to the mushy part at the front. With no pilot they could feasibly pull ridiculous g force maneuvering that a piloted aircraft could never do.

  • @uslabs
    @uslabs7 ай бұрын

    Who else is here after watching it on a friend's recommendation? Totally worth it! 🙌

  • @pamelamays4186
    @pamelamays4186 Жыл бұрын

    Slowly creeping up to one million subscribers.🤞🤞🤞🤞

  • @thedavid9366
    @thedavid9366 Жыл бұрын

    The possibilities from this tech demonstrator appear to be well worth the costs.

  • @paulwright110
    @paulwright110 Жыл бұрын

    The X47B reminds me of the tech used in the 2005 film Stealth. I wonder just how far advanced the X47 series is gonna get, maybe L.E.O.??

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    Жыл бұрын

    That film was so bad it was brilliant!

  • @wormyboot
    @wormyboot Жыл бұрын

    Do a video on Omega Tanker. They're really cool.

  • @belledetector
    @belledetector Жыл бұрын

    You should do a compilation video of how military dark/experimental aviation projects translated into production airplanes years later. The investments are not lost. The know-how just takes time to be assimilated into the production line. Occasionally hundreds of millions are spent on projects, to avoid spending billions on something that doesn´t work. It´s called R&D.

  • @ypaulbrown
    @ypaulbrown Жыл бұрын

    well done Simon

  • @smile768
    @smile768 Жыл бұрын

    Mmm that green stuff looks great 😱

  • @AtheistOrphan

    @AtheistOrphan

    Жыл бұрын

    Soylent Green is people!

  • @cybervigilante
    @cybervigilante Жыл бұрын

    "A billion dollars here, a billion dollars there. Pretty soon you're talking about real money."

  • @DomoKuchikan
    @DomoKuchikan Жыл бұрын

    Wow that beard oil must be something special! Your beard's beard looks good 🤣

  • @mikewinter
    @mikewinter Жыл бұрын

    C'mon!! Clearly Northrop discovered that they had created Skynet by making the B model and after watching Terminator 3 they put a blanket over it and acted like it didn't exist

  • @K113-A
    @K113-A Жыл бұрын

    I think the win from this drone is the control system. NGAD anyone?

  • @lucius6667
    @lucius6667 Жыл бұрын

    Would have thought to use them as Recon and Buddy in flight systems with Secondary escort or Ground support roles would of made the costs worthwhile at least

  • @michaelgautreaux3168
    @michaelgautreaux3168 Жыл бұрын

    Oh course it cost a Billion. There are what 2 maybe 3? Fleet production dropped the price tag. The -35 is catching hell but $s are for spares for many years + "LO" maintenance. Here we go again with this "Nat'l Asset vs Nat'l Treasure" rheteric. It isn't U're Grand father's Firebee! Or any of the other Model 147 A-L A/BQM charmers! Many thanx Simon, always a treat! 👍👍

  • @bluchz79
    @bluchz794 ай бұрын

    This may have been noted. But it’s my belief that the landing tech has now been applied to manned aircraft which has given pilots more freedom to focus on more important tasks. Carrier landings are the most stressful and energy draining endeavors a navy pilot experiences during a sortie.

  • @ShikiKaze
    @ShikiKaze Жыл бұрын

    Yes... Totally not those Stealth Drones seen from Ace Combat 7.. Now waiting for an Arsenal Bird.

  • @georgejenkins6275
    @georgejenkins6275 Жыл бұрын

    Simon's vocal cords take AG for breakfast !!

  • @Sweenus987
    @Sweenus987 Жыл бұрын

    I wonder if some of the tech would go into making smart AA missiles, ones you can't dodge with flares because it'll know what they are and to ignore them

  • @rubiconnn

    @rubiconnn

    Жыл бұрын

    Modern IR guided missiles already have flare rejection programming that both look for very specific wavelengths of radiation that come from engine exhaust as well as predictive flight path algorithms.

  • @trolleriffic

    @trolleriffic

    Жыл бұрын

    @@rubiconnn Also they use IR imaging sensors rather than the much simpler ones of early missiles so they can "see" the target rather than just home in on a heat source. That allows them to image the plane and distinguish between it and decoy flares and they're apparently even able to home in on a particular part of an aircraft rather than just go for the hottest bit of it.

  • @NeoTechni
    @NeoTechni Жыл бұрын

    What a beauty.

  • @officialdropnation
    @officialdropnation Жыл бұрын

    it’s beautiful

  • @huntergant9348
    @huntergant9348 Жыл бұрын

    I had a thought and was curious if anyone had an opinion. I know issue for space travel is mirco particles hitting the ship at high speed and a heavy enough piece of shielding isnt practicle from what i understand to take the impact. Could it be possible to use a high powered laser (like for rust removal which is tiny particles) to generate a shield of sorts in front of ship to protect from micro impacts by destroying the particles before they can impact the ship?

  • @bingusmctingus4395
    @bingusmctingus4395 Жыл бұрын

    Oh holy shit I saw that plane buzz me at low altitude while I was driving up US395 towards Bishop, CA!!!! It took one left turn and it was practically invisible.

  • @keithhargraves7497
    @keithhargraves7497 Жыл бұрын

    Do the B-21 Raider! I know its highly classified but if you can please do!

  • @mill2712

    @mill2712

    Жыл бұрын

    I think we should give it a bit more time. It's unveiling next month.

  • @lonewulfyamcha
    @lonewulfyamcha Жыл бұрын

    Top gun 3: 'Drone gone Maverick'

  • @Spaceboi318
    @Spaceboi318 Жыл бұрын

    Rebooting this program might not be necessary after all. I wouldn’t doubt a bit that this aircraft tested a lot of the system going on the B-21 which is also made by Northrop

  • @JM-nt5fm

    @JM-nt5fm

    Жыл бұрын

    This is exactly what went on. The navy has a huge R&D budget and this research went towards the B-21. It's the reason why Northrop threw so much money, time and effort at this. Makes me happy to see Barnaby Wainfan's legacy will be these two programs, the first true shift from manned to unmanned primary rather than just support combat systems.

  • @bghiggy
    @bghiggy9 ай бұрын

    Pretty wild that they were testing in 2003. Wonder what stuff is being currently developed that we won't find out about for another 20 years

  • @Bastispark
    @Bastispark Жыл бұрын

    does Ag include kratom for anti-inflammatory/antioxidant and painkilling properties for the day when the soreness starts after the workout?

  • @cpcattin
    @cpcattin Жыл бұрын

    The fact we don’t know about other versions and purposes doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

  • @leedex
    @leedex Жыл бұрын

    I hope to see a video of Laser C-Ram in the future 🙂

  • @jimsvideos7201
    @jimsvideos7201 Жыл бұрын

    Drones as tankers and ASW platforms seem appropriate.

  • @1983nnp
    @1983nnp Жыл бұрын

    Great video.

  • @mrtiphat5405
    @mrtiphat5405 Жыл бұрын

    Interesting video. Thank you. Subscribed and will check out this channel more.

  • @GwynCole
    @GwynCole Жыл бұрын

    I thought fighter drones were part of the NGAD program?? In what is called the loyal wingman? I think the XQ-58 Valkyrie made by Kratos is on a limited production run in Australia if my memory serves me correctly?

  • @vincere_

    @vincere_

    Жыл бұрын

    Kratos is US, testing under the USAF Skyborg program. Ghost Bat is Boeing Australia's crack at a loyal wingman.

  • @thermalerosion4556
    @thermalerosion4556 Жыл бұрын

    “Drones? Are you kidding me right now? Jesus! This is the kinda shit that really chaps my ass.”

  • @power_plushi_emperor97
    @power_plushi_emperor97 Жыл бұрын

    *Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown intensifies*

  • @TrueTempleDog
    @TrueTempleDog Жыл бұрын

    Can't justify paying for health care, education, infrastructure, but we CAN justify a billion dollary do's to develop the world's most elaborate RC plane. This is the shit Eisenhower warned us about.

  • @jamesstone1493
    @jamesstone1493 Жыл бұрын

    It is the modern equivalent to the Sprouse Goose in that it serves to set up future aircraft to be unmanned and stealthy too!!!!!

  • @brendanmeyler1641
    @brendanmeyler1641 Жыл бұрын

    The military got their money’s worth with this project imo. The x-47 a and b were test beds and technology demonstrators. Countless advanced algorithms, systems, and softwares were developed and tested in the field of autonomous drones both land based and sea based. There is no question that tech pioneered in this program will make its way into aircraft on the horizon such as the B-21 raider, ngad, and other similar programs.

  • @newagain9964

    @newagain9964

    Жыл бұрын

    Right. And b21 can fly autonomously.

  • @brendanmeyler1641

    @brendanmeyler1641

    Жыл бұрын

    @@newagain9964 exactly

  • @hankadelicflash
    @hankadelicflash Жыл бұрын

    10:50 This dude loves his job almost as much as Simon.

  • @aaronantonio5099
    @aaronantonio5099 Жыл бұрын

    Fire video

  • @dave5185
    @dave5185 Жыл бұрын

    My sister has that same blue sweater!