January 14

Air Force Completes Killer Micro-Drone Project

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The Air Force Research Laboratory has finally completed the development of a tiny, armed drone, named Project Anubis after a jackal-headed Egyptian god.

Project Anubis was started in 2008 ultimately created as an assassination robot for "high value target". But a recent military R & D documents note "that Air Force engineers were successful in develop[ing] a Micro-Air Vehicle (MAV) with innovative seeker/tracking sensor algorithms that can engage maneuvering high-value targets.”

Project Anubis was built in order to address three critical drawbacks against the larger Predator and Reaper drones using Hellfire missiles in Afghanistan and Pakistan anti-terrorist wars.

First, following the "Tall Man Incident" of CIA operatives mistakenly hit a kind-of-like "Bin Laden" innocent with the hellfire missile.

Second, hellfire was originally an anti-tank missile, which is less precise and agile, making it unfit for highly sensitive missions.

Third, historically hellfire missile was frankly, ineffective causing many innocent deaths.

Currently, the Air Force is silent about the state of Project Anubis. But if it does make it to missions, Anubis would solve both of the problems associated with the Predator-Hellfire combination, Hambling reported.

Filed Under: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Microcontrollers, Robotics, Robotics Sensors

Tags: Air Force Research, Algorithms, Anubis, Cia Operatives, Drone, Force Research Laboratory, God Project, Hambling, Hellfire Missile, Hellfire Missiles, Historically, Jackal Headed Egyptian God, Micro Air Vehicle, Micro Air Vehicle Mav, Predator, Reaper Drones, Sensitive Missions, Tall Man, Target, Usaf, Value Targets