

UK reveals footage of 'top secret' drone [video] - thomc
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26052931

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csmithuk
This isn't actually all that secret. It's been published for over 4 years
before it even managed a test flight.

Having worked in that sector, the interesting shit is always what you haven't
heard about.

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eliteraspberrie
The challenge for UAV going forward is to operate autonomously. Stealth is
useless if its communications with a satellite are obvious, and almost all
drones are useless if GPS is jammed. I haven't found any information
indicating that the Taranis solves these problems.

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Scene_Cast2
There are two communication lanes here - let's call them uplink (UAV to
satellite) and downlink (satellite to UAV). For the uplink, the UAV can use a
highly-directional antenna that is virtually undetectable and unjammable to
anyone on the ground.

Solving this for the downlink is harder. Blanketing a large area (100km *
100km) or using highly-directional signal could work. Dead-reckoning with
"mission plans" would also help.

I wouldn't really expect BBC to get into technical details, especially given
that security-through-obscurity would work for at least the first mission.

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disputin
Google says this article about it is December 2006. [http://defense-
update.com/products/t/taranis-ucav.htm](http://defense-
update.com/products/t/taranis-ucav.htm)

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smoyer
It looks a lot like the one the US Navy has created for carrier-based
operations - are they sharing technologies like the NSA and GCHQ?

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eliteraspberrie
The purpose of this program (the Defence Industrial Strategy) was for the UK
to be able to develop these drones independently, but there may have been some
technology transfer. The French and German governments did the same with the
nEUROn.

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effdee
I bet it is also capable of launching precision air strikes in /friendly/
territory...

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fit2rule
What do we do to make sure these tools are not turned on us?

