Video: Hovering Killer Drone Takes Flight

American drones are already lethal; so far this year, the unmanned aircraft have allegedly killed at least 365 people, in assaults on Pakistan. Now, new video of a hovering combat robo-craft shows the potential for military drones to be faster, more maneuverable - and deadlier.

The Excalibur aircraft, a 13 foot-long, 10 foot-span, half-scale test model, took an inaugural proof-of-concept flight on June 24, Aviation Week reports. Aurora Flight Sciences, the company behind the new drone, is planning a full-sized version that will carry four Hellfire missiles, at speeds of up to 400 knots. The Predator drone, by comparison, carries just two Hellfires, and cruises at just 70 knots. Unlike the Predator, the Excalibur doesn’t need a runway to take off. It just floats into the sky, thanks a titling turbojet and three battery-powered lift fans.

This isn’t the first time Aurora have created innovative models for unmanned military aircraft. For a Darpa project last year, they dreamed up a three-vehicle air machine that could dock in the stratosphere and stay aloft for five years. They’ve also worked with military researchers on micro-drones that mimic the navigational know-how of bats and bugs.

And now Aurora’s got an added boost of Pentagon expertise. Former Darpa director Anthony Tether recently joined the company’s Board of Directors.

But any military deployment is still a ways off: Aurora paid for the first flight themselves, and still plans to do several more test runs. The company’s hoping for funding to build the full-size model.
Wired