4 ms·
Why are people questioning why this is a crewed plane? The article clearly says we don’t know that detail: ...”he refused to divulge any aspect of the aircraf
by alex_young 6y ago
Why are people questioning why this is a crewed plane? The article clearly says we don’t know that detail:
...”he refused to divulge any aspect of the aircraft’s design — its mission, whether it was uncrewed or optionally crewed, whether it could fly at hypersonic speeds or if it has stealth characteristics.
Those attributes, he said, are beside the point.”
- londons_explore 6y agoI would guess it's uncrewed... It's a lot easier to prototype stuff quickly if nobodies life is on the line if a wing falls off... I can totally imagine it being a state secret if it's crewed or not - the enemy not knowing how big a diplomatic incident they'll cause if they shoot one down is an advantage.
- rbanffy 6y agoIf it can fly uncrewed you can start the full scale tests right away and add in-plane meatware at a later stage.
- londons_explore 6y agoYou could even have the "meatware" be an add-in module. A single "unit" that fits into the plane that has a seat and all the controls, together with an ejector/entry hatch. If you don't have that unit, you could fill the same space with an extra fuel tank, cargo, or weapons systems.
- rbanffy 6y agoAnd you can even test me meatware pod on the ground independently before even the "cruelty free version" makes it first flight ;-)