From the current issue of the online journal Theory, Technology and Culture: Drone Kamikazes in the California Sun ------------------------------------- Recently, there was a serious naval incident off the coast of Southern California, involving an American Ticonderoga guided missile cruiser, the USS Chancellorsville, and a supposedly errant BMQ-74 target drone. It seems that one clear Pacific day, after the drone was launched for target practice, it suddenly wheeled around, ceased software communication with shipboard command-and-control, and promptly went into full assault mode in an unexpected and perhaps first of the twenty-first-century kamikaze attacks on a battle-ready cruiser. While the navy at first reported only minor damage, later accounts confirmed not only thirty million dollars in damage to the cruiser but, equally significantly, that the drone inflicted serious, target-specific harm to the state-of-the art Aegis Combat System--the technical essence of the cruisers sophisticated electronic warfare systems. The consequence--one lethal drone, one broken down guided missile cruiser, and a lot of bruised navy pride.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 04:11:39 +0000
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