By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com January 3, 2011 O.k., so the article title may be a bit hyperbolic considering the Gorgon Stare-retrofitted General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAS/UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Systems/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is non-weaponized, but if this thing can see you and locate you, how hard is it for a weaponized MQ-9 Reaper armed with a full …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com November 28, 2010 This one’s been coming for awhile. According to reports in multiple publications, it would appear that China is quickly closing the UAS/UAV (Unmanned Aircraft System/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) gap currently enjoyed by the United States and Israel. More than 25 different Chinese UAS/UAV designs (and up to 40-50) were recently on …

The following is an Air Force Press News Release: 9/14/2006 – WASHINGTON (AFPN) — The Air Force chief of staff announced "Reaper" has been chosen as the name for the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle. The Air Force is the Department of Defense's executive agent for designating and naming military aerospace vehicles. In the case of the Reaper, Gen. T. Michael …

By David Crane david (at) defensereview (dot) com September 27, 2020 Last updated on 9/28/20. DefenseReview’s (DR) been following drone aircraft/UAV/UAS technology for, well, forever. The unmanned aerial/aircraft systems technology sphere is indeed a fascinating one, and one that forces one to think about the future of military combat aviation as a whole, and what it’s likely to look like …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com Photo Credit: Title Image: Lockheed Martin via Defense News January 6, 2020 Last updated on 1/09/20. Well, this year (2020) certainly started off with a very big bang (or several bangs, perhaps), when a US General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper/Predator B weaponized drone/UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) sent what may have been multiple Lockheed …

By David Crane January 2, 2018 Last updated on 1/03/18. Nasdaq recently published an article titled “Air Force Could Test Flying Aircraft Carriers” as Early as Next Year, that caught DefenseReview’s (DR) attention, thanks to its provocative title hinting at giant electrogravitic-propulsion (anti-gravity) aircraft carriers flying around like alien craft. The article itself actually alludes to a much less provocatively-titled …

By David Crane david (at) defensereview (dot) com Image(s) Credit: DARPA and Northrop Grumman December 22, 2015 Last updated on 12/23/15. Speaking of interesting new military aircraft designed and developed by Northrop Grumman (NG), as well as futuristic Terminator-like cyber-soldiers and Skynet-like supercomputers, AND DARPA, Northrop Grumman and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) are apparently also developing a “radical ‘tail-sitter’ …

By David Crane david (at) defensereview (dot) com Images Credit: DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) September 24, 2015 Last updated on 9/25/15. In the last two days, a couple of articles have come out on new military-grade laser weapons coming to fruition, specifically manned and unmanned aircraft-mounted laser weapons. The first piece, published by Defense One discusses General Atomics …

By David Crane david (at) defensereview (dot) com Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works September 16, 2015 The media (MSM, aviation, and military defense media, alike), is currently abuzz with news of the new Lockheed Martin Skunk Works TR-X low-observable/stealth tactical reconnaissance aircraft concept (or, concept aircraft), which is the follow-on to the Lockheed Martin U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane, …

By David Crane david (at) defensereview (dot) com Photo(s) Credit: Wendell Minnick at Defense News and People’s Daily, China December 02, 2014 The Chinese Military is apparently going futuristic in its UAS/UAV/UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle)/drone aircraft ops with the new AVIC Holographic GCS (Ground Control Station), or HGCS. Just chalk it up to one more technological development that was …