Security → Top secret: Superdrone to be tested at Woomera

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THE most secretive piece of airspace in Australia - the RAAF-run Woomera flight test range in South Australia - will make history later this year when the world's first unmanned supersonic stealth combat aircraft makes its maiden test flight above the desert.

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* Flies on pre-programmed flight path guided by on-board computer

* Stealth technology makes it virtually invisible to enemy radars

* Can select its own targets but final 'kill' decision taken by mission command

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»www.news.com.au/technolo ··· 19892302

Terminator anyone? How long before these things can make kill decisions themselves? You know it's coming.

Then there's this...

»Aircraft Controls Hacked With Android Smartphone

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Extreme secrecy surrounds the joint British-French project...

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Really?? A joint-nation program with "extreme secrecy"? That's something of an oxymoron. Or an earth-shattering "first".

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...Taranis will carry the latest in remote defensive technology so it can also evade missiles and hostile manned aircraft.

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Evade? Uhmm... if the defense can be controlled remotely, it can be overcome on-scene by something else.

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The development of pilotless combat aircraft is controversial and many regard the risks of mistakes associated with removing humans from the kill chain as unacceptable.

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All of which opinion will carry not a feather's weight in the decisions regarding further development of these things... it's like the atomic bomb programs: if they've got one, we've got to have one (only bigger).

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Collateral damage in war is a given, a fact of life and war and isn't going to go away, the amount of collateral damage is limited by the 'size' of the war, so really having a meat bag in the front doesn't matter as in some cases they might reduce collateral damage and in other cases they might actually increase it. This stuff is going to happen, or already has happened as its a heck of a lot easier to make drones then getting people to signup to actually go and fight and risk their lives in a war (amazing how much a little skin in the game can change your opinion). My only concern is having a drone military only makes war an easier decision and a more likely outcome (of course until the other guy has a drone army and then its terminator time).

Blake