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Pentagon Wants Kill Switch For Planes

Posted by samzenpus on from the jettison-the-wings dept.

mytrip writes "The Pentagon's non-lethal weapons division is looking for technologies that could 'disable' aircraft, before they can take off from a runway — or block the planes from flying over a given city or stretch of land. The Directorate's program managers don't mention how engineers might pull off such a kill switch. But, however it's done, they'd like to have a similar system for boats, as well. They're looking for a device that can, from 100 meters away, 'safely stop or significantly impede the movement' of vessels up to 40 feet long, with 'minimal collateral damage.'"

3 of 548 comments (clear)

  1. Soft Walls discussion and common objections by __aapopf3474 · · Score: 5, Informative
    Total disclosure: I've worked on Soft Walls.

    There was discussion on Slashdot about the Soft Walls Project that did something similar. See the 1/04 and 7/03 discussions.

    What I find interesting is just how vehement software engineers and pilots are about the idea, and yet everyone seems to trust fly-by-wire.

    There is Soft Walls FAQ that covers common objections.

  2. Re:You say: "Defense"... by Richard_at_work · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm sorry, but why does everyone think that a terrorist's only weapon is a jet? How hard do you think it is to make a bomb (hint: diesel fuel+ammonium nitrate found in fertilizer = half the explosive force of dynamite per mass)? Any pissed off retard can mix a truckload those two together and blow up any building. So why hasn't it happened?. Oklahoma City Bombing, April 19th 1995 - shortly before 9am, Timothy McVeigh parked a van containing a 5,000lb bomb made mainly of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, nitromethane, and diesel fuel outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. At 9.02am the bomb detonated, killing 168.
  3. Re:You say: "Defense"... by Leoedin · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not correct. The jeep they used was filled with propane canisters, petrol and nails. The Ammonium Nitrate acts as an oxidiser, and these guys didn't have it. Propane canisters are designed to not explode. The Glasgow terrorists clearly thought that if they just lit a fire under one of them it would explode (playing too much GTA methinks). They didn't even attempt to make proper explosive with an oxidiser.