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Israeli Super Drone Stolen
kristy_christie writes "Globes Online reports that Steadicopter's prototype pilotless helicopter was stolen a few days after the completion of its test program and final test flights. Interesting to note that Steadicopter claims that their helicopter is unique and there is no other of its kind in the world."
I wonder is they're claining it to be stolen just to cover the fact that it might have been sold to someone else. Those military projects from israel can't be sold to anyone unless it's approved by the US, so this one might have gone without the approval.
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but not its computer software or the money in the office
The shmucks stole the device but not the software?
Whatever country tries to reverse engineer this thing is going to have a bitch trying to control it.
In some closed office in a secret country somewhere, some geeks are reading slashdot. The hardware guys are jumping around with the new toy they've got to play with. The software guys are pissed as hell the they've got to write code for this thing.
I would assume that a uniqye technology like that, with great military use would be very secured.
From the article you can guess that the thing was stashed in a barn, close to a room full of cash...
the so called "sucessful" test was recorded and witnessed?
Looks like a cover-up for a failed technology and a drain for (more) money...
Steadicopter CEO Tuvia Scgl told "Globes" today that he had no doubt that industrial espionage was behind the theft. "We're convinced that the thief was working for our competitors, because he went directly to the helicopter's location, and broke only the guardrails to that room.
No, not too wierd. One company stealing from another.
Of course, it would be a great insurance fraud as well. Here in the US we just light fire to the build when the business isn't working. Maybe they had somebody steal the device because the project was dying.
Remind me to sell my TEIC stocks.
from the uav forum:
In many ways, the current American UAV industry resembles the fledgling aircraft industry of 1920's America--a large number of small, independent, recently formed companies, each vying for a share in a dawning, potentially lucrative market. Now, just as then, government support will be crucial to ensuring America's UAV industry not just survives into, but fluorishes during the coming century.
i doubt there are many organisations capable of stealing a prototype of this sort (and weight) in one of the most security consious nations on the planet..anyone want to hazard a guess?
So Georgia Tech don't really have their own heli UAV's which can perform searches and formate in flight?
Have a look: HERE and especially HERE
Not to mention Berkeley who are it it too.
In fact there are a plethora of companies and universities across the globe who already have advanced UAV helicopter designs so what on earth makes Steadicopter's design unique?
Yes, I know, someone is going to say it; nobody else has exactly the same design but thats not really the point.
Ripping an new rectum in the fabric of spacetime.
If the physical device was stolen how the hell do they know the software wasn't copied? Clearly the physical security was inadequate. Of course if this IS a ploy to attract investors nothing would turn off investors more than knowing you can buy the software on Canal street for $5.
There are only a few superpowers in the world that have the technology to maintain and use such a device.
???
Do you know anything at all about (model) helicopter service? (if you check the picture it's clearly a model - with ~1.5-2m (~5-7 feet) rotor dish I'd say)
The mechanical service any kid above the age of 12 could do. The technology to service it? A bit of fuel, oil, recharging its batteries and the occasional rotor-blade angle trimming. Do you actually believe yourself it needs a "superpower" to service a device like this?
Besides, the claim this is "the first" is a lie (unless qualified with "commerecially available"). I was involved with the *exact* same kind of research, where we indeed had devices working - more than a decade ago...
"The tricky part" is managing to keep it in the air at all.
It is way, WAY easier to make an automated flixed-wing airplane, which is why most commercial airliners ARE automated (can take off, fly to their destination, and land unaided), and have been for years.
Helicopters are a vastly more complicated technology, which is why even the US Army, which has the best and most advanced helicopters in the world, continues to suffer repeated fatalities from training accidents and normal operations.
It is a truism in the helicopter industry that "they don't fly...they're so ugly that the earth itself repels them."
Spend some time here How They Fly before you next post :-)
And at present a third of the Israeli air force is grounded because of an arms embargo by my country, the UK. The sole source for power packs for the ejector seats used in their older jets has been prohibited from exporting replacements.
From a strategic point of view there is no reason to avoid dependence on US arms exports since the Israeli ecconomy is entirely dependent on the US.
Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
That's not how GPS works. There are two GPS signals, the civilian one and the encrypted military one. The military version is more accurate than the civilion version, and in wartime civilian GPS is degraded to 100 m. accuracy instead of better than 10 m. I presume worldwide military GPS is unaffected, although that is a function of the encryption method used and whatever controls they built into "foreign-owned" military GPS sets. That is all classified and I have no direct knowledge of it. I presume our allies wouldn't tolerate unilateral shutoff in the equipment they bought.
GPS was tremendously expensive to implement, and is quite vulnerable to attack. Good luck to anyone seeking to duplicate it.
The U.S. also has plenty of the most sophisticated GPS jamming equipment, and I'm sure will have no problem jamming other systems as well, as needed.
Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
Score: -1 100% Flamebait
Are they? They have got a lot of headlines, but do suicide bombings actually achieve anything other than convince the target that the terrorists cannot be negotiated with, only eliminated?
Suicide attacks are an admission on the part of the terrorists that they have no other way to further their cause and an inditement on the target for putting the terrorists in that position in the first place
Trust me, it can be very incompetant sometimes. Then again, EVERY army can be. For example, up until lately, most casualties in the recent Iraq conflict have been from "friendly fire" and accidents (until the terrorist attack began to escalate in the past few weeks).
Your other remark I cannot agree with. If it _was_ an accident, and if it was proven so, why is there a need to cover it up? On the contrary, from what I read, Israel apologised and paid some $13 million dollars compensation for the families of the deceased.
Also , from that point of view, if people continue to raise that issue again and again and again ignoring previous court rulings and inquiry commitees and crying bloody conspiracy, at one point or another one starts to assume there is some kind of prejudice going on.
When you make the assumption of innocense, these accusations suddenly seem moot.
- Assaf