Comments for Imperial killer drones come closer to reality.

Imperial killer drones come closer to reality.

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:01:18 -0600

You were warned.

Comment from BillT on 2008-12-13

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:55:49 -0600

BillT, don't you fly one of these?

Weeeeeeeell, it looked like me going into a couple of hot LZs, and the faw-down-and-roll-over at the end was kind of familiar...

Comment from Grimmy on 2008-12-13

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:48:40 -0600

Serious question:

What happened to the program that was using genetically enhanced space monkeys that threw hand-fulls of hyper velocity poop pellets at missiles?

That's a program I could get behind. Way behind.

PS. Don't blame the hyphen on me. Spell checker done it.

Comment from Rod Thorsen on 2008-12-13

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:16:56 -0600

BillT, don't you fly one of these?

Comment from BillT on 2008-12-13

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:06:04 -0600

It hovers, makes a gawdawful racket, and spits chemically-propelled kinetic-kill projectiles in seemingly random directions in seemingly random sequence.

I'm in love.

Comment from Silver on 2008-12-13

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:59:58 -0600

If they find an efficient fuel source for this thing, we're doomed. Especially if Colossus gets control of them.

Comment from Grimmy on 2008-12-12

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:05:56 -0600

Don't know about the techy stuffs, but the cage it's in does imply that the gizmo has rage/twitch control issues.

Just listen to that thing spit and hiss. Needs therapy for sure and for certain.

Comment from Paul in BarneyFrankistan on 2008-12-12

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:49:25 -0600

John -

Remember, NASA is the National Association for Synthesizing Acronyms!

Neither Raytheon nor L-M, but I worked on another aspect of NMD about ten years ago - spent lots of time commuting between DC and Falcon AFB.

Comment from Josh on 2008-12-12

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 02:04:36 -0600

Haha yeah, my friend said the EXACT same thing when I showed him the video!

Comment from AW1 Tim on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:05:19 -0600

Now see,

     Here I was thinking that this is the perfect room-clearing device. You just get your droid to toss one of these little RONCO flailing death machines in the door, and it does it's thing.

     I could imagine the quizzical looks of those inside when this rolls in and just lays there. They draw closer, try to figure it out, then all of a sudden BLAMMO!

     It leaps up and starts spewing death in every direction. Anyone not hit would probably sh!t themselves to death anyway, so it's a win-win situation.. :)

     Heh..... I can haz a gross plz? I haz planz.....

Comment from Pogue on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:32:19 -0600

Interesting photo, Rod. It looks like 12 of those interceptors are mounted on the test vehicle (the high res photo shows them marked as "INERT". ) The photo of the guy holding it makes me think the interceptor has a diameter of around 6 inches. That would make the inner carrier vehicle about 18 inches in diameter so the major diameter is somewhere around 32 inches. Using the Mk 1 Eyeball on the video makes me think the vehicle length is between 5 and 6 feet. Also, even though all the visual clues make me want to think it's a small vehicle, once the thrusters shut down it takes almost a second to fall to the net. That would mean a hover altitude of 25 - 30 feet. The side shots make it look like it's hovering maybe 5 body lengths high, which would be about right if I'm not totally out to lunch on my other guesses. Now, after all this deduction someone will show me a full size model and it'll only be six inches long...

Comment from Rod Thorsen on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:54:56 -0600

Only thing I've found on size so far:

http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/781/multiple-kill-vehicles-mkv. Can't speak for the reliability or source of this photo.

Comment from Josh on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:02:03 -0600

Ahhhh, so they're not actually intended to lift themselves off the ground, hm? Makes much more sense now.

So my question still stands...how big is it?

Comment from Keith L. Bailey on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:42:41 -0600

Fuel usage is relative. Remember this thing is designed to work in space. a zero-g enviroment therefore it would use less fuel than it does on the ground.

Comment from Pogue on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:25:30 -0600

Thanks Paul, that does sound familiar. I seem to recall with the earlier test the ability to hover wasn't really a requirement, someone realized that it had enough thrust to do it so why bother with expensive zero g testing...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:33:30 -0600

Ah, Paul, a man after my own heart. Never met an acronym he couldn't use... but at least defines 'em!

So, Paul - d'you happen to work for Raytheon or Lockheed-Martin?

Comment from Duane Roelands on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:31:23 -0600

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who had the weird feeling that I had seen this footage before. Like, ten years ago. I'm not a tinfoilhatter, but it certainly does feel like this is recycled footage.

Comment from Paul in BarneyFrankistan on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:28:48 -0600

Rod & Pogue,

You probably did see a similar video before, but of the current Kinetic Kill Vehicle (KKV).

The MKV will be an improvement. Each GBI (Ground Based Interceptor) can currently carry one KKV, so we would typically need to launch multiple GBIs for each inbound ICBM. The MKV takes advantage of improved technology to put several KVs on each GBI, improving the Pk, particularly against more sophisticated adversaries (PENAIDS, multiple RVs, etc.). It's the missile defense version of MIRV.

As for the fuel consumption - not a concern, given the short engagement time. The KKV divert thrusters only fire during the endgame, a few seconds before impact. The hover tests take advantage of the high thrust developed by the divert thrusters to perform realistic ground tests - since they need to deliver over 1g in order to maneuver during the endgame, some clever folks realized that you can use one thruster to hover the KV while the others maneuver.

Comment from JimC on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:08:25 -0600

I hate to admit this but when I saw the picture I thought it was a joke. I thought it was a hi-tech/SciFi new defense system to defend Beth's Chickens in the Hen House. OOOPS.

Comment from Josh on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:39:54 -0600

Either this is an obvious question that everybody else missed, or I missed something important...

How BIG is it? I haven't been able to find any frame of reference in the photo or the video. For some reason my instincts say it's about a foot or two long, but the description as a killer of ICBM warheads suggests that it should be the size of an automobile at least.

And yes, I agree that the design seems like it would consume fuel at an incredibly high rate. A reaction control system makes sense if you're floating in space and just need to make tiny adjustments, or if you're feeding it from a turbine like in the Harrier, but this doesn't look like it has a turbine...maybe it's just throwing hypergolic fuels out the sides?

Comment from Pogue on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:17:40 -0600

Yeah Rod, I remember seeing a test like this several years ago, although I think that was shorter and it just came up, hovered and dropped - no lateral repositioning. Does seem pretty fuel intensive though.

Comment from RetRsvMikeMike on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:13:12 -0600

this IS the droid you were looking for.

Comment from Rod Thorsen on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:58:36 -0600

This seems old, I'll swear or affirm (for those who don't swear) that I saw this. Too unique to mistake. Yeah, I know the date on it says this week. No conspiracy, just that they're still working on it I guess.

Comment from Mrs G on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:51:23 -0600

I bet that would work great against zombies

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:31:06 -0600

Kat - no, this is an ballistic missile killer.

Paul - we're working on those, but Greenpeace keeps busting on us for being cruel to sharks.

The sharks? They *like* lasers...

Comment from Katherine Optima Maximae on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:10:38 -0600

Is this an RPG killer?

Comment from Blake Kirk on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:06:39 -0600

We r can haz Bolo soon?

Comment from paulmont on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:00:14 -0600

But all I ever wanted was freaking dolphins with freaking lazers attached to their heads!!!

Comment from Pogue on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:30:31 -0600

I, for one, welcome our alien overlords... There're clearly willing to spend on defense reasearc. :-p

Comment from Argent on 2008-12-11

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:40:09 -0600

Very cool but i refuse to be impressed until there's lasers and a sonic screwdriver. I must admit I wonder just how much fuel the thing uses.