Answer the question yourself, next time you see this

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on the plane you are getting off from. The slim chance of having Tom Hanks landing you safely on the Potomac, offers no hope, I guess.

What is it? Looks like maybe an airplane fuselage lined up on an approach to a terminal gateway?

 

What is it? Looks like maybe an airplane fuselage lined up on an approach to a terminal gateway?

The dent and the scratches at the very center of the picture is what I expected would be evident.

 

I hope this declaration is not premature:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-46676762

Detection systems are now able to be deployed throughout the UK to combat the threat of drones, ministers say.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/delivery-drones-cheer-shoppers-annoy-neighbors-scare-dogs-11545843552

CANBERRA, Australia—Robyn McIntyre, who lives on the outskirts of Australia’s capital, was in her family room a few months ago when she thought she heard a “chain saw gone ballistic.”

It was actually a drone on its way to deliver a burrito or coffee as part of a test from Wing, which like Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. One recent day, she said delivery drones flew over her house about 10 times in 2½ hours, making it difficult to focus on working or reading the newspaper.

 

...she said delivery drones flew over her house about 10 times in 2½ hours, making it difficult to focus on working or reading the newspaper

I have to admit, I'd find it hard to read my newspaper knowing that 10 burritos were flying overhead.

 

Yet another incident at Heathrow:

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/01/0...br-intl/index.html?r=https://edition.cnn.com/

 

Yet another incident at Heathrow:

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/01/08/uk/heathrow-airport-drone-gbr-intl/index.html?r=https://edition.cnn.com/

But 'twas only closed for about an hour.
False alarm?

 

Yet another incident at Heathrow:

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/01/08/uk/heathrow-airport-drone-gbr-intl/index.html?r=https://edition.cnn.com/

Or was it yet another non incident?

 

Here we go again. This sort of situation is going to be repeated many times before someone come up with an effective strategy to stop them:

https://edition-m.cnn.com/2019/02/21/europe/dublin-airport-flights-suspended-drone-intl/index.html?r=https://edition.cnn.com/

Dublin Airport temporarily suspended all flight operations on Thursday following a "confirmed sighting of a drone" over the airfield.

 

U.S. Army Orders of the Pocket-Sized Drones Top $ 85 Million

​

This extremely light and nearly silent drone can fly up to 25 minutes, and provide many military advantages in combat.

 

U.S. Army Orders of the Pocket-Sized Drones Top $ 85 Million

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$7000 each, not bad. Four for the price of one electric wheel chair. Morbid comparison is intensional. Very cheap for eyes in the sky.
It looks like the front contains a night vision (mid-IR) FLIR camera. 25-min of flight. Real-time first-person flying.

 

$7000 each, not bad. Four for the price of one electric wheel chair. Morbid comparison is intensional. Very cheap for eyes in the sky.
It looks like the front contains a night vision (mid-IR) FLIR camera. 25-min of flight. Real-time first-person flying.

That's what drew my attention, the 25 minute flight ... I wonder if those things are sealed like a smartphone, and they make you throw them away and buy a new replacement when the battery goes stale?

 

That's what drew my attention, the 25 minute flight ... I wonder if those things are sealed like a smartphone, and they make you throw them away and buy a new replacement when the battery goes stale?

Knowing the US military, there is a chance they are single-use.

 

Knowing the US military, there is a chance they are single-use.

knowing any military, you might be right ...

 

and they make you throw them away and buy a new replacement when the battery goes stale?

No, they make you hit them with the $5000 hammer.

 

No, they make you hit them with the $5000 hammer.

Ok but, how do you disable the $5000 single use hammer at the end of its life?

 

With a $10,000 toilet seat cover.

 

No, they make you hit them with the $5000 hammer.

Ok but, how do you disable the $5000 single use hammer at the end of its life?

With a $10,000 toilet seat cover.

While all of the above is true and sorrowfully humorous I can share a story about this stuff. Maybe back around 2003 the USS Ohio SSGN 726 had its first refueling. I worked Naval Reactor Systems. We had folks from KAPL (Knowles Atomic Power Laboratories) in NY come to visit us for an extended stay here in Cleveland, Ohio. We built the CRDMs (Control Rod Drive Mechanism(s)) used on the older S8G reactor system. Part of the guts is the RPI (Rod Position Indicator)and all they had was an older well used shipboard unit which was broken. WE did have a functioning old CRDM less a RPI. So KAPL brought along the CRDM off the Ohio but we had no RPI and I was tasked with coming up with something. We needed it yesterday. There is not much classified about the RPI and I worked at home as well as the plant completing my initial design on a Sunday afternoon for use on Monday morning. The thing worked. So a few weeks of testing and our visitors left. While making up this RPI I made a simple operations pamphlet including a spoof of Bearblain Products which unknown to me one copy was dragged away when the KAPL people left. Bear was my dog at the time and Blain is the last name. All in all total parts and labor maybe $700 total.

A few months pass and we get a call from KAPL. They wanted four units like the one they used at our facility. They could not locate Bearblain Products leaving my department head to explain what was going on. OK, these four units were to be made to government specifications (the old mil-standards) meaning the government provided specifications. This included of course packaging. Even with no actual circuit design changes when all was said and done the things carried about a $5,000 price tag just to be mil-spec.

You want a nice claw hammer? Maybe $12 at the hardware store, a little more for a framing hammer. You want a hammer conforming to a dozen mil-stds including paper work covering the iron ore pellets, forging and heat treat process all documented then you have a $5,000 hammer.

You want a toilet seat? A really nice wood elongated Jones Stephens maybe? That cost about $60 at the hardware store. You want a toilet seat that can survive a nuclear strike built to mil-spec? Now that cost about $10,000 but comes with a complete history book.

The coffee maker in the C5 Galaxy can make coffee in inverted flight and the fact that the C5 Galaxy can't fly inverted matters not. You get a great mil-spec $10,000 coffee maker. You call out the specifications and you can have whatever you want. Everyone will be dead but that hammer, toilet seat and coffee maker will still be functional. You have to love government specifications and mil-standards. When I retired many of the military standards and the mil-q (quality) standards had transitioned to ISO 9000 (at the time) specifications. No clue what applies today.

Now do you want a drone or do you want a drone? Here in Ohio several years ago a company was trying to sell (Ohio Department Of Transportation) on a $20,000 drone suitable for things like bridge inspection. During demonstration the drone crashed into a river, lost at sea? Imagine a 20K drone crashed and sank? I guess drones or unmanned aerial vehicles can be useful but a new problem comes with the new ideas. Drone inspecting bridge. This is good. Drivers distracted by drone inspecting bridge, this is bad.

Ron

 

I can attest that the C5 Galaxy coffee maker and toilet sea both did their jobs on my trips from Clark AFB to Diego Garcia and beyond in sometimes horrible typhoon weather. The rear facing padded seats were also much better than C-141 Starlifter canvas jump seats. Yes, price is relative when the nation depends on the mission being completed.

 

While all of the above is true and sorrowfully humorous I can share a story about this stuff. Maybe back around 2003 the USS Ohio SSGN 726 had its first refueling. I worked Naval Reactor Systems. We had folks from KAPL (Knowles Atomic Power Laboratories) in NY come to visit us for an extended stay here in Cleveland, Ohio. We built the CRDMs (Control Rod Drive Mechanism(s)) used on the older S8G reactor system. Part of the guts is the RPI (Rod Position Indicator)and all they had was an older well used shipboard unit which was broken. WE did have a functioning old CRDM less a RPI. So KAPL brought along the CRDM off the Ohio but we had no RPI and I was tasked with coming up with something. We needed it yesterday. There is not much classified about the RPI and I worked at home as well as the plant completing my initial design on a Sunday afternoon for use on Monday morning. The thing worked. So a few weeks of testing and our visitors left. While making up this RPI I made a simple operations pamphlet including a spoof of Bearblain Products which unknown to me one copy was dragged away when the KAPL people left. Bear was my dog at the time and Blain is the last name. All in all total parts and labor maybe $700 total.

A few months pass and we get a call from KAPL. They wanted four units like the one they used at our facility. They could not locate Bearblain Products leaving my department head to explain what was going on. OK, these four units were to be made to government specifications (the old mil-standards) meaning the government provided specifications. This included of course packaging. Even with no actual circuit design changes when all was said and done the things carried about a $5,000 price tag just to be mil-spec.

You want a nice claw hammer? Maybe $12 at the hardware store, a little more for a framing hammer. You want a hammer conforming to a dozen mil-stds including paper work covering the iron ore pellets, forging and heat treat process all documented then you have a $5,000 hammer.

You want a toilet seat? A really nice wood elongated Jones Stephens maybe? That cost about $60 at the hardware store. You want a toilet seat that can survive a nuclear strike built to mil-spec? Now that cost about $10,000 but comes with a complete history book.

The coffee maker in the C5 Galaxy can make coffee in inverted flight and the fact that the C5 Galaxy can't fly inverted matters not. You get a great mil-spec $10,000 coffee maker. You call out the specifications and you can have whatever you want. Everyone will be dead but that hammer, toilet seat and coffee maker will still be functional. You have to love government specifications and mil-standards. When I retired many of the military standards and the mil-q (quality) standards had transitioned to ISO 9000 (at the time) specifications. No clue what applies today.

Now do you want a drone or do you want a drone? Here in Ohio several years ago a company was trying to sell (Ohio Department Of Transportation) on a $20,000 drone suitable for things like bridge inspection. During demonstration the drone crashed into a river, lost at sea? Imagine a 20K drone crashed and sank? I guess drones or unmanned aerial vehicles can be useful but a new problem comes with the new ideas. Drone inspecting bridge. This is good. Drivers distracted by drone inspecting bridge, this is bad.

Ron

I had no idea you were affiliated with the Nuclear Navy. I'm sure I knew something about CRDMs and RPIs at one point, long enough to get my submarine warfare qualification, but that isn't something that stayed committed to memory. I DO remember filling out supply chits and box of pens was over $100. I don't know this for sure, but I strongly suspect there were no certificates of traceability provided for the pens. I think there is more to it than the good reasons you cited. I think the military is accustomed to paying more for everything, so they just do. They have no incentive to shop around for a better price, on anything. If anything, the opposite. I remember my chief telling us to put together a needs list and wish list; any budget left over after needs was spent on "needs" because if we didn't use up the whole budget, we wouldn't get a full budget the next go-round.