Space deployment vehical for Marines

[Zakama]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Hot_Eagle

I thought this was pretty cool, it seems like only a few steps from here to orbital drop pods. Be sure to check out the links at the bottom of the page, there are a few articles.

[Death, your friend the Reaper]

I thought this was pretty cool,

It is out of this world!

I wonder if the activation would be the space bar?

*Checks link* Ah, suborbital, that made those jokes a tad redundant *looks both ways before sneaking back to the shadow*

[Icewalker]

Huh, sounds interesting. I'm far more interested in adaptations for common usage rather than military use though. Of course, that's probably far off, seeing as this is probably ridiculously expensive to do.

[reorith]

inb4 juan rico
also
i always get the shakes before a drop.

[thubby]

they are going to use it to get around no fly zones (which have a verticle limit), not much use to civilians.
it seems a bit far fetched to do more then spend a lot of money.

[Bitzeralisis]

"[Name of spacecraft here], you are in restricted airspace."
"What airspace? I ain't see no air here!"
"You get what I mean!"

First thing that came to mind. :smalltongue:

[SurlySeraph]

There is the problem of, ya know, getting them back out...

[YPU]

inb4 juan rico
also
i always get the shakes before a drop.
now if they would include starship troopers drop shells (read the book, its not in the movie)

[Arameus]

*yawn* Read about this months and months ago in Popular Mechanics. Or Popular Science, I forget which.

If you had read the same article, you'd know that there isn't any way in hell they're actually building any of these, even as a prototype; it's just a project to see of such a thing is feasible in concept, and to test our knowledge of and ability to adapt to make non-conventional spacecraft, as which this would most definitely qualify.

In other words, it's science fiction. Neat, but no.

[thubby]

There is the problem of, ya know, getting them back out...

by the time you need them out you have gone through all the red tape to go get them. or just gone around the problem area.

[SurlySeraph]

*yawn* Read about this months and months ago in Popular Mechanics. Or Popular Science, I forget which.

If you had read the same article, you'd know that there isn't any way in hell they're actually building any of these, even as a prototype; it's just a project to see of such a thing is feasible in concept, and to test our knowledge of and ability to adapt to make non-conventional spacecraft, as which this would most definitely qualify.

In other words, it's science fiction. Neat, but no.

I think it was Popular Science. And no, these aren't exactly feasible, but the government has put lots of work into even less feasible things before. No political discussion, but...


by the time you need them out you have gone through all the red tape to go get them. or just gone around the problem area.

And what if you haven't managed to? Think Black Hawk Down, except with no convoy coming to get the soldiers. They can't fly back out, they're most likely stranded in the middle of some place full of people who want them to die, and they can only carry so much water and ammunition. That, not the technological unfeasibility, is why this is a terrible idea.

[NikkTheTrick]

Sounds like a disaster to me.

Air superiority + paradrop can get soldiers anywhere wheir air superiority can be attained. And that is much easier. Where air superiority cannot be achieved... Johhny will not come marching home. Better achieve the goals by missile bombardment.

Process would be outrageously expensive because equipment for space drop has to be made with extreme precission. Otherwise, troops will just burn in the atmosphere. Also, troops have to first be shipped to some orbital station, which is a wonderful oppotrunity for the enemy to kill them before the drop. If enemy is uncapable of shooting down a space station, the enemy is not capable of defending against a paradrop.

[thubby]

And what if you haven't managed to? Think Black Hawk Down, except with no convoy coming to get the soldiers. They can't fly back out, they're most likely stranded in the middle of some place full of people who want them to die, and they can only carry so much water and ammunition. That, not the technological unfeasibility, is why this is a terrible idea.

helo drops have the same issue many times. you don't use it for everything obviously, you use it when you will get here in time or you must have them there regardless.
and no one would use it so callously, if they did they wouldn't be employed much longer.
putting any men behind enemy lines carries the same risks, this just lets them get there faster.
I imagine you could also send significantly more gear with them in pods than on normal drops. send them a vehicle if need be.
a somewhat limited technology, but the military is one of the places things like that fly.

to use your black hawk down scenario, politics have kept reinforcements from saving men. imagine if the other copters couldn't have gotten there, the convoy is held at a boarder, now what? these things happen.

[TigerHunter]

I didn't see the Popular Science article regarding the project, but I did read a Letter to the Editor in a later issue about why it's a terrible idea. The problem of getting them out again was the main issue, I think. I believe it was the issue on high-tech waste disposal, if anyone happens to have their old magazines lying around and wants to look it up.