In three years Cyberdyne will become the largest supplier of military computer systems. All stealth bombers are upgraded with Cyberdyne computers, becoming fully unmanned, Afterward, they fly with a perfect operational record.................

Anyone else getting a feeling of de ja vu?

Now all they need is droid tankers and we'll never see em again...

...the best fit for this software now, is to get it into all fighter planes regardless. The humans can take control as per normal, but when they need to refuel they just press 'D' on their keyboard and let the computer take over. Just like when we used to play Elite...

>Human pilots, rather than tracking the drogue, are taught to try and slot in with a

>forward move at the right moment. Pilots have traditionally described the

>manoeuvre as "like taking a running f-ck at a rolling doughnut".

I used to bullseye womprats with my T16 back home, they aren't much bigger than a doughnut ;-)

Sure Grant... but you're using the force!

Mmmmmmmm......... 2 metre doughnuts.................

It looks like the pilots are surrendering to some alien probe.

It's bitch hard and scary. And I was in the back seat watching. The Navy puts the the drogue on the tanker and the probe on the fighter. The Air Force puts the probe on the tanker and socket on the fighter. Quite hairy to watch a 25 foot sword coming at you. The fighter pilot has to hold position while the probe driver puts it in position. Kind of like taking a running f*ck at at 6 foot doughnut from 25 feet away.

Elite rocked. I wish there was a new version of it.

There is, it's called Eve-Online

Try X3: The Reunion. Closest thing to Elite there is today and it's pretty good :)

I'll get me coat. It's the one with the extra-long sleeves and the leather straps...

flying is for droids...

Keep posting mate, very informative.

Just wondering if there is anything you havent done?

Why did the USAF elect to 'fly' the probe-on-a-boom into the receptacle on the receipient? The USN (and British!) hose-and-drogue seems more sensible to me...

Two reasons:

1 the other way is how everyone else does it. Aim High. (This is also known as the Not Invented Here Syndrome)

2 Boeing had a nifty little system and needed someone to buy it. That system was, at first, intended for long-range _bombers_... which were built by... Boeing. (B-47s, B-52s...) And was fitted to heavy cargo aircraft... which were built by... Boeing. (KC-97 Stratotanker, a.k.a a C-97 with a boom and a lot of kerosine, a.k.a a B-29 with a new fuselage. See <http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/kc-97_stratotanker.pl>. Follow-up, a obscure, little-known, aircraft called the KC-135, which first flew as a military machine and which Boeing then attempted to make civilian versions of. The jury's still out on the legacy of that machine... See <http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=110>)

It should be noted that many USAF _fighter_ aircraft, including the F-100 Super Sabre, had probe-drogue in flight refueling setups instead of the boom-port setup. (You can see a Hun with a probe here: <http://www.f-100.info/images/f-100d_53668-4.jpg>) This is because Boeing did not conquer all overnight.

Is the next upgrade one where they can shoot each other?

Automated Blue on Blue anyone?

It'll show up in the AARDwolf! Yeah, that's the ticket!

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardwolf)

Put some cheese additive into the fuel and ...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/07/rat_brain_flies_jet/

How do they know?

I mean really, I'm a broad-minded bloke and I was a student once, but I've never even *thought* of that, let alone tried it out.

Still, if they can do it, I'm glad they're on our side.

Dang you beat me to it.

So does that mean whoever they go to war with are going clone their top soldier?

Boeing's probe and boom system was developed to allow a higher rate of fuel transport through it than the flexible hose typically used by the probe and drogue systems.

Trying to shove spaghetti up a wildcat's ass at night...

After leaving you with that image in your minds, i'll get me coat...

Anybody interested in the history of in-flight refuelling, from our side (British), has got to read 'Vulcan 607', by Rowland White. Ascension to Falklands and back with boom and probe, in storms, with the usual, British, cock up of mis-caculation makes it one of my top ten books of all time.

There was a photo a few weeks back of the RAF doing this same thing, taken from a/c flying alongside showing Tornado crew with hands in air but with probe and drogue. Also part of UAV development.

If the code runs on windows, the world doesnt need to worry.

When the new service pack is deployed, we shall sing Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.....

EVE-online is a MMO, while x3:reunion is just single player only. Both are good in my mind, but eve has much better interaction. Although eve is a little more arcade in the flight control systems, and x3 is like a fully fledged space flight sim.

But i would still tell everyone to buy both....

@Nigee:

>There was a photo a few weeks back of the RAF doing this same thing, taken from a/c flying alongside showing Tornado crew with hands in air

There is of course the possibility that the Tornado pilot was surrendering to the Air Conditioner flying along side him... I know I would.

Oh, haha... theres the cold shivers... haha, who would have guessed? ... now where's me coat... .

So now if they can just get the air conditioner to refuel in the air maybe someone will develop something to drive my car so I can read El Reg on my way to work.