And here's the future stealth bomber being researched by BAE - Polidicks

[img]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--WTteYlL6--/k7az7ho0mka8sixklt21.gif[/img] [quote]This "Voltron" stealth bomber seems out of a science fiction movie, but it's one of the aircraft concepts that military powerhouse BAE Systems is working on: A single bomber/drone would fly as one from the home base, then divide into three airplanes to execute different tasks in the same area and reassemble to return to the base. [/quote] [url]http://sploid.gizmodo.com/the-transformers-inspire-the-future-of-military-aircraf-1602561890/+ericlimer[/url] [quote] Ideas being worked on include planes that can "dock" together and in-flight 3D printing of items to help on missions.[/quote] [url]http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28216526[/url] Video in source

Looks like something you'd see in a shmup :v:

That is increadibly silly even by concept war machine standards.

[I]"Autobots, Roll out"[/I]

Maybe with these new technological advances BAE will finally catch me slippin'.

What in the world would you need to 3D print on a plane that you couldn't just bring with you? And why would you need 3 separate planes to do it, exactly? What's stopping you from just putting a 3D printer inside of, you know, a regular plane? They're not that large. The docking sounds sorta cool in that 2 planes pilots can take a break from flying for a while I guess, but I still don't think it's very practical nor needed

BRITBONG ENGINEERING worst engineering mind of GREAT STALIN ENGINEER exceed britbong by over 80 year [img]https://i.imgur.com/Hym2x8H.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/cdrBdCj.jpg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ioM0iLz.jpg[/img] instead of unman more better to use loyal conscripts with camera

...And, why would you not just fly three regular planes?

[QUOTE=Riller;45374669]...And, why would you not just fly three regular planes?[/QUOTE] This is why you should be careful when the ideas guy turns up on the doorstep with another 'brilliant' idea.

[QUOTE=shian;45374482][B]Voltron[/B][/QUOTE] Relevant [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMfg3Cq-LmA[/media]

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;45374498]Looks like something you'd see in a shmup :v:[/QUOTE] [img]http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/yjgDVmkOYGE/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=booster;45374738][img]http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/yjgDVmkOYGE/maxresdefault.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] that counts as a single aircraft. 0/10

As stupid as this is, it could the first step towards flying carriers. The year is 2053, and a thriving united Iraqistan has the highest education rates in history but a limited budget to work with. The military has purchased an old Antonov An-225 Mriya from Russiakraine and hired a bunch of students to build a versatile combat platform. The rear bay is a telescoping door, allowing it to extend into a 70m runway, doubling the length of the aircraft. Inside are fifty miniature F-35's built from hobbyist kits, with folding wings and shitloads of badly wired batteries to allow the central-mounted railgun to fire a single 50kg ingot. Canada has annexed the americas, north and south, and has begun construction on a flying nuclear submarine with which is shall destroy New Zealand. The prototype drone carrier has its first combat run, reaching New York in four hours with it's retrofitted aerospike engines, then floats 15km above the target. On the push of a button fifty jumbled blocks of titanium tumble out the back, then assemble themselves into attack mode while making Transformer noises. Using a modified off-the-shelf ASIMO wired to a 4 gigapixel camera, all primary threats and targets are identified in about four seconds. An engineer confirms the targets and the free-falling drones get down to action. They divide the labour by themselves and with deadly precision deliver the payload. The mothership descends to 8km and extends the rear runway. Every drone matches speed and dogpiles in the back, they can be fixed up later. Rear door is closed and the whole package returns home. Upon landing they recharge the drones with stolen Tesla Supercharger schematics. Many a pilot then remarks "gallente op plz nerf"

So let me get this straight. the thing flies in as one, offering a larger object for radars and other detection, while also being a 3 in 1 if shot down? If it splits up far from the target I guess maybe they could save some fuel by flying like that, but why not just spend a bit more fuel and fly 3 of them rather than fucking about with in-flight docking? Only way I see this being viable is if they managed to extend range by a large margin.

[QUOTE=Riller;45374669]...And, why would you not just fly three regular planes?[/QUOTE] [quote]They claim that this architecture will make these weapons more fuel efficient. [/quote] If you have questions about an article, reading the article helps [editline]13th July 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=acds;45374820]So let me get this straight. the thing flies in as one, offering a larger object for radars and other detection, while also being a 3 in 1 if shot down? If it splits up far from the target I guess maybe they could save some fuel by flying like that, but why not just spend a bit more fuel and fly 3 of them rather than fucking about with in-flight docking? Only way I see this being viable is if they managed to extend range by a large margin.[/QUOTE] Considering the whole point of stealth fighters is that they DON'T show up on radar, i dont think that's much of a concern

[QUOTE=Bazsil;45374854] Considering the whole point of stealth fighters is that they DON'T show up on radar, i dont think that's much of a concern[/QUOTE] Stealth =/= immune to detection. A bigger target it harder to stealth properly, and detection methods improve as stealth methods improve. You can't just slap some stealth material on a plane and call it a day. Though at least, even when docked, it keeps a low horizontal profile so that should help some.

Imagine if the money went basically anywhere else that was productive

[QUOTE=J!NX;45375036]Imagine if the money went basically anywhere else that was productive[/QUOTE] Thats a silly idea

[QUOTE=shian;45374482][IMG]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--WTteYlL6--/k7az7ho0mka8sixklt21.gif[/IMG] [URL]http://sploid.gizmodo.com/the-transformers-inspire-the-future-of-military-aircraf-1602561890/+ericlimer[/URL] [URL]http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28216526[/URL] Video in source[/QUOTE] I assume that after the combination they shift into giant robot form.

[QUOTE=Reds;45375136]I assume that after the combination they shift into giant robot form.[/QUOTE] [video=youtube;7Wt6XlVob_E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wt6XlVob_E[/video]

[QUOTE=booster;45374738][img]http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/yjgDVmkOYGE/maxresdefault.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] What's this game? I remember it when I was younger but couldn't recall the name.

BAE caught me bombin'

[QUOTE=O'Neil;45375772]What's this game? I remember it when I was younger but couldn't recall the name.[/QUOTE] Raptor: Call of Shadow

Having a mothership would mean more room for bombs and less room for fuel. Furthermore, we already do air docking for in flight fueling, albeit not as far fetched, and that's not even computer aided. Just saying.

Aerialbots merge to form Superion! [thumb]http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/e/ec/Wardawn_superion.jpg[/thumb]

[video=youtube;LdHC7IuoATg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdHC7IuoATg[/video] I like the look of this one more, with [B][I]CARBON NANOTUBES![/I][/B]

It sort of reminds me of the original design of the XB-70 Valkyrie, where the wings were B-47-sized fuel tanks: [IMG_THUMB]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/WS-110_original_proposal.gif/1024px-WS-110_original_proposal.gif[/IMG_THUMB]

Jesus fuck, Taranis really got their imagination going then.

printing aircraft in the field yeah okay

[QUOTE=The golden;45374508]Call me a pessimist but I can't imagine this ever leaving the concept office. Maybe the actual shape of the craft itself but the docking and in-flight 3D priniting? I dunno...[/QUOTE] What do you mean I dunno? If enough money and/or resources and manpower are thrown at it, then yes you will most definitely have docking and in-flight, on-battlefield 3-D printing, guaranteed.