There was a new agreement reached today between the UK and France to jointly develop Drone Technology, one aim being to replace Fighter Aircraft with Drones. See here - Cameron and Hollande finalise plans for Anglo-French drone

As an anything-that-flies enthusiast from way back I'm technically interested in the drones and in seeing how they develop and what technology they use. So it will be fascinating to see how that pans out. Fat chance that the discussion will stick to that, but I've put it in the title, so there.

The article, however, is thought-provoking at different levels, the political, the moral as well as the technological.

There is an interesting turn of phrase at the bottom of that article, namely,
A recent report by the Ministry of Defence said multiculturalism was a significant factor in the public opposition to conflict, as a war-weary public becomes increasingly uncomfortable with seeing British troops deployed to countries from which they once came. --- Lots of issues there.

There is an interesting turn of phrase at the bottom of that article, namely,
A recent report by the Ministry of Defence said multiculturalism was a significant factor in the public opposition to conflict, as a war-weary public becomes increasingly uncomfortable with seeing British troops deployed to countries from which they once came. --- Lots of issues there.

That problem has been solved by armies at least since Roman times, and probably long prior. The Romans enlisted Franks to serve in the south and east. During WW2 the Germans gave e.g. captured Georgians the option to stay in prison camps or to serve under German command in the west. The British, too, are hardly foreign to such tactics.

Back on topic.................

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is simply keeping your drone.  

Keeping it from being lifted out of your control, & potentially used against you, which if it were mine would piss me off to no end!

Oh, & some fool hearty Australians are planning to deliver books & what-not with drones.

In urban areas of all places   ----  living proof that alcohol does cause brain rot!!!!  

Who needs a stinkin' 747 when you can use a fleet of drones!?? 

Bin Laden must be laughin'  from the bowels of hell!

                              Click on the drone to see the video
                                                                                 

                                   

It makes one shudder - imagine al queda taking over a drone and showering us with Korans!

But seriously, that's indeed a risk; not one that is absent from manned machines though (communications/flight control/weapons systems, cruise missiles (not manned I know but each with their own self-destruct command one would have thought).

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is simply keeping your drone.

DnD has plenty of drones...which on did you have in mind?

Just to keep things straight...
drone 1  (drōn)
n.
1. A male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Its only function is to mate with the queen bee.
2. An idle person who lives off others; a loafer.
3. A person who does tedious or menial work; a drudge: "undervalued drones who labored in obscurity" (Caroline Bates).
4. A pilotless aircraft operated by remote control.

Just to keep things straight...
drone 1  (drōn)
n.
1. A male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Its only function is to mate with the queen bee.
2. An idle person who lives off others; a loafer.
3. A person who does tedious or menial work; a drudge: "undervalued drones who labored in obscurity" (Caroline Bates).
4. A pilotless aircraft operated by remote control.

Awww....'Coony won't appreciate that none too much thar James.....
....No, I dare say, not one teensy weensy lil bit.  

Never get stuck in traffic again: Renault reveals concept car which comes with a DRONE that watches out for gridlock.

It's a great idea. The only down side is that one needs a pilot, navigator and rear gunner (American version only) in the back seat.

Probably the first stoned drone in the history of mankind

Hope it has a time delayed fuze!

Drones and cell phones, a letal combination for some

Drone strikes kill innocents by targeting NSA phone data, not people

It's really like we're targeting a cell phone. We're not going after people -- we're going after their phones, in the hopes that the person on the other end of that missile is the bad guy.

fish

[url=http://www.weather.com/video/watch-man-gets-buried-by-snowplow-44269?collid=/weather/twc-weather]http://www.weather.com/video/watch-man-gets-buried-by-snowplow-44269?collid=/weather/twc-weather[/url]

In not too much time, drones will be inside you all.
That's what happens when people don't react against nanotechnology. First they have drones outside them , then inside them.

I think we need to define it a bit further. Jim's 4th point (pilotless remote-controlled aircraft) could refer to any aircraft bought at the hobby shop. So, let's make it a little more strict: A drone (aircraft) contains either a camera or a weapon. Camera drones may be either civilian or military, weapon-carrying drones are military.

That way, we all understand that the guys flying models of P-51s and Sopwith Camels are not flying drones, the guy flying a camera-equipped Opticopter is flying a drone.

Never get stuck in traffic again: Renault reveals concept car which comes with a DRONE that watches out for gridlock.

It's a great idea. The only down side is that one needs a pilot, navigator and rear gunner (American version only) in the back seat.

You'll like us better when Putin's landing craft come ashore in Wessex.

That way, we all understand that the guys flying models of P-51s and Sopwith Camels are not flying drones, the guy flying a camera-equipped Opticopter is flying a drone.

Oh, if only Snoopy could save us from ourselves the same way he saved us from the Red Baron!

Proposed law to prevent DRONES from collecting using any information it collects, primarily because it circumvents 'due process' protections guaranteed in the 4^th Amendment of the United States Constitution (part of the Bill of Rights).

Ignore the image (if it offends you), & please watch this important video.

It's relative information to your personal privacy on many levels. it's not only about drones.



I wonder how the Britts will be dealing with these in their LONDON backyards spying on them?

I'm amazed,,,,,,,,,, but should I be???

Amazed because in EIGHT ( 8 ) days, nobody -- not anybody seems to care one way or another whether drones will, or should be for that matter, used in order to circumvent our supposed Right to Privacy.

Am I alone in my amazement, or should I just say like a laid back Australian might say.....
"...She'll be right mate...she'll be right..." ??

What do   you   think?

If drones we'd used for that purpose (snooping on ordinary people) I would be very much against it, but I don't see them being used that way. Of course any new technology can be misused, by authorities, by criminals etc.

There are so many benefits to be gained from the use of drones, both militarily and for civilian use. People get lost in the wilderness or at sea where the vastly increased dwell time of drones can help in locating the missing person. Farmers can oversee their crops or livestock more efficiently . . .  I could go on, but I'm sure everyone can think of such examples.

Drone technology is no more than technology.
Is technology bad or good? Should human have invented such or such? E.g., guns?

But if you're really worried SF, push for law that stops their use for snooping if you don't think there is one already.

Maybe there isn't an existing law  -  think satellites or google maps.

If drones we'd used for that purpose (snooping on ordinary people) I would be very much against it, but I don't see them being used that way. Of course any new technology can be misused, by authorities, by criminals etc.

There are so many benefits to be gained from the use of drones, both militarily and for civilian use. People get lost in the wilderness or at sea where the vastly increased dwell time of drones can help in locating the missing person. Farmers can oversee their crops or livestock more efficiently . . .  I could go on, but I'm sure everyone can think of such examples.

This is the US of A, Sir...we kill our own.

WASHINGTON -- He is known as Abdullah al-Shami, an Arabic name meaning Abdullah the Syrian. But his nom de guerre masks a reality: He was born in the United States, and the United States is now deciding whether to kill him.

Mr. Shami, a militant who American officials say is living in the barren mountains of northwestern Pakistan, is at the center of a debate inside the government over whether President Obama should once again take the extraordinary step of authorizing the killing of an American citizen overseas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/world/asia/us-militant-hidden-spurs-drone-debate.html?_r=0

Does American law allow for hearings in absentia?
Then why not drop him a writ first?
From a drone?..

Worse yet, trials are allowed in absentia.

Trials in absentia are exceedingly rare--most judges and attorneys will never be involved with one. The procedure doesn't jibe with the notion of due process, especially the constitutional right of the accused to confront witnesses. So, judges are careful to make sure that a defendant's absence is truly voluntary, rather than the result of foul play, ill health, or lack of notice, lest they create grounds for an appeal.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/06/when_can_a_defendant_be_tried_in_absentia.html

Then the writ should be printed in an amount for dropping an oversized writ-bomb to the place - so as the summoned could not avoid having it at hand.

Now drones are being used to expose bank details and passwords: Hackers manage to access 150 phones an hour through Wi-Fi