HOT/WET EAGLE

[pedaler]

London Sunday Times

October 19, 2008

Pentagon Plans 'Spaceplane' To Reach Hotspots Fast

By John Harlow, in Los Angeles

The American military is planning a “spaceplane” designed to fly a crack squad of heavily armed marines to trouble spots anywhere in the world within four hours.

At a recent secret meeting at the Pentagon, engineers working on the craft, codenamed Hot Eagle, were told to draw up blueprints for a prototype which generals want to have in the air within 11 years.

Pentagon planners have been encouraged by technical breakthroughs from Burt Rutan, chief designer on Sir Richard Branson’s White Knight spaceship, which is due to begin test flights next year and to carry tourists on suborbital journeys from 2010.

Last week Rutan, 65, who built the first privately funded craft to reach space and won the $10m X prize for his achievement in 2004, gave his blessing to Hot Eagle, which could be based on White Knight’s technology. Rutan said it would be an expensive way to transport troops “but it could be done. It is feasible”.

Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, which is funding White Knight, recently predicted that it could be used to airlift emergency supplies into disaster zones.

“It could be like Thunderbirds, like International Rescue,” he said. A passenger version would be capable of flying from London to Sydney in four hours.

The two-stage Hot Eagle would be launched from an aircraft carrier. A large booster rocket would carry a smaller spacecraft containing 13 “space troopers” 50 miles into space, far above hostile radar, before landing in enemy territory.

The marines first called for a spaceplane in 2002 after the US military failed to capture Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan. The project was known as the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion programme (Sustain). Its advocates said it took too long on foot to reach the caves where Bin Laden was said to be hiding and helicopters were too visible.

General James Mattis, leading the marines’ Central Command at the time, said he wanted the spaceplane in the air by 2019. He was recently promoted to be one of the most senior officers in the US military establishment and Sustain has since become a priority.

Last week Lieutenant Colonel Mark Brown, a US air force spokesman, confirmed that Nasa and Pentagon officers had met for two days of talks to draw up plans for Hot Eagle.

Invitations to the meeting said participants would be discussing a “potential revolutionary step in getting combat power to any point in the world in a time frame unbelievable today”.

Although aided by Rutan’s breakthroughs in ever-lighter composite materials, there are many technological hurdles ahead for Hot Eagle.

Designers have not yet decided whether to build a relatively simple disposable craft, which the space troopers would destroy before being picked up by helicopter, or a vastly more complex vehicle which could fly them home.

Some critics dismiss Hot Eagle as Hollywood-inspired science fiction or an expensive toy. Others question how effective a fighting force of just 13 soldiers could be on the ground.

“That is, if they get there,” said Ivan Oelrich, of the Federation of American Scientists. “It would be wildly vulnerable as you cannot armoura rocket ship.”

Roosevelt Lafontrant, a former marine colonel now employed by the Schafer Corporation, a technology company, said the technology was advancing rapidly. “If we had had the Sustain programme in operation in 2002, Bin Laden would have been captured and history fundamentally changed,” he said recently.

Edited October 24, 2008 by pedaler

[nsplayr]

I remember reading about this a few years back...not sure if that counts as weaponizing space (I'm sure other countries would say yes...) but it would be a sweet capability. So marines who ride on this thing get "space wings?"

[Guest r6pilot]

Where do I sign up to be a "space trooper"?

Will they be picking "Hot Eagle" pilots straight from UPT or will you have to have previous UAV experience first?

Lots of questions...

[busdriver]

Did I miss something? Since when did a lack of the ability to launch Marines into low earth orbit have anything to do with not catching Bin Laden?

[FourFans]

Starship Troopers anyone? (the book, not the movie)

Sign me up!

FF

[Guest AceTomatoCompany]

I think it would be cooler to have the drop pods like the Preditor uses in AVP and the Preditor movies.

[busdriver]

Ace, the drop pod idea was actually starship troopers

[189Herk]

Did I miss something? Since when did a lack of the ability to launch Marines into low earth orbit have anything with not catching Bin Laden?

Holy crap that was funny.

[Guest ski&fly fast]

Roosevelt Lafontrant, a former marine colonel now employed by the Schafer Corporation, a technology company, said the technology was advancing rapidly. “If we had had the Sustain programme in operation in 2002, Bin Laden would have been captured and history fundamentally changed,” he said recently.

I am missing this- was there an opportunity we missed for catching Bin Laden b/c we were not able to put 13 space marines on the ground in Afghanistan within 4 hours??? Also, say the space marines would have caught Bin Laden, would this have changed the fundamentals of history?? This is a joke-

[FourFans]

Playing "what if" with history asside. I think this is an awesome idea, even if we only get a technology demonstrator. Imagine the possiblilities of world wide power projection within 4 hours. The REST of the world won't like us being able to do that, but since when has politics actually been about doing what other people want you to do?

On the flip side, they'll have to make tac airlifters a LOT faster if they expect the resupply chain to keep up with troopers like that.

I hope they go for it.

FF

[Guest Sandlapper]

I ate a big bowl of chili for lunch & just dropped a few "hot eagles" off at the pool, if you know what I mean...

[JarheadBoom]

On the flip side, they'll have to make tac airlifters a LOT faster if they expect the resupply chain to keep up with troopers like that.

That's one of the biggest obstacles to anything beyond a tech demo IMO - how do you resupply those Marines once they're in-country somewhere? Another Hot Eagle of ammo, water, and MRE's?

How do you get the Hot Eagle (and more importantly, the Marines) back out-of-country when they're mission complete?

[B*D*A]

That's one of the biggest obstacles to anything beyond a tech demo IMO - how do you resupply those Marines once they're in-country somewhere? Another Hot Eagle of ammo, water, and MRE's?

How do you get the Hot Eagle (and more importantly, the Marines) back out-of-country when they're mission complete?

They will use "Cold Eagles" that will actually be able to bore underneath the Earth's crust and drill their way to friendly territory thus ensuring a safe extraction of said space troopers. Also, this will also allow the "Mole Wings" to be worn.

In all seriousness, sounds like a kick ass capability but I'm not completely sold on it's necessity.

[pawnman]

That's one of the biggest obstacles to anything beyond a tech demo IMO - how do you resupply those Marines once they're in-country somewhere? Another Hot Eagle of ammo, water, and MRE's?

How do you get the Hot Eagle (and more importantly, the Marines) back out-of-country when they're mission complete?

One assumes that those Marines would be an advance force, and back-up would be mobilizing while they're on the way.

I kept thinking about the drop troops from Halo while I was reading that. Can't wait for the Spartan armor.

[Guest AceTomatoCompany]

Ace, the drop pod idea was actually starship troopers

Thanks I will have to find the book seems to be well liked.

[HuggyU2]

Thunderbirds are GO!!

[FourFans]

Recovery? Simple: Bring back the fulton recovery system.

[B*D*A]

Recovery? Simple: Bring back the fulton recovery system.

[StoleIt]

Batman did it!!!

[pedaler]

It's too good to be true. Launch the Marines with a HOT EAGLE, recover them with a WET EAGLE or visa versa. Even better, combine the two technologies to create a HOT WET EAGLE. The new system could be called "Amphibious Submersible Space System for Flying Underwater Command and Control" or ASSSFUC. ASSSFUC combined with the new APESHIT system would allow unparalleled global force projection. The future of warfare: HOT WET EAGLE APESHIT ASSFUC.

New York Daily News

October 24, 2008

Pg. 28

Military Wants Flying Sub

By Barry Keevins and Corky Siemaszko, Daily News Writers

THE U.S. MILITARY is seeking designs for a new weapon that could be in a James Bond movie — a flying submarine.

While Bond drove a Lotus that turned into a sub when it hit the water in“The Spy Who Loved Me,” what the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, wants is far more ambitious.

Its specs call for a submersible flying machine capable of carrying eight men and their equipment a combination of 1,150 miles by air, 115 miles by sea, or 22 miles underwater — in less than eight hours.

It must have the “stealth of a submarine” and be able to hide beneath the water’s surface for up to three days to pick up the men after their “coastal insertion” mission is completed.

“We are open to submissions from anywhere,” DARPA spokeswoman Jan Walker said. “DARPA has a budget of $3 billion.”

Previous attempts to come up with such a craft failed because “the design requirements for a submersible and an aircraft are diametrically opposed,” according to the specs.

The Soviets tried to come up with one during World War II. And in the 1960s, the Navy doled out thousands to weapons contractors to come up with new flying sub designs.

Flying subs were featured on the TV series, “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.”

[M2]

Why do you even need HOT EAGLE? Just increase the range of this by a few thousand miles...

Errrr...and improve the accuracy a tad!

Come up with some dorky wings, a bag and a leather jacket for the "operators," and people will flock to sign up!

Cheers! M2

[Toro]

The new system could be called "Amphibious Submersible Space System for Flying Underwater Command and Control" or ASSSFUC. ASSSFUC combined with the new APESHIT system would allow unparalleled global force projection. The future of warfare: HOT WET EAGLE APESHIT ASSFUC.

Pure genius--developed the face of future warfare--promote BTZ and send to IDE!

[Guest Gonads]

Ok, fine. You have 13 marines in a hot spot. What the F are 13 marines going to do? Probably get overrun pretty quickly if you ask me. No disrespect to the Marines, but really?

[sigmanugary]

It's too good to be true. Launch the Marines with a HOT EAGLE, recover them with a WET EAGLE or visa versa. Even better, combine the two technologies to create a HOT WET EAGLE. The new system could be called "Amphibious Submersible Space System for Flying Underwater Command and Control" or ASSSFUC. ASSSFUC combined with the new APESHIT system would allow unparalleled global force projection. The future of warfare: HOT WET EAGLE APESHIT ASSFUC.

That is by far the funniest shit I've read on this forum... DEFINATILY PROMOTE!

[JarheadBoom]

Ok, fine. You have 13 marines in a hot spot. What the F are 13 marines going to do? Probably get overrun pretty quickly if you ask me. No disrespect to the Marines, but really?

Yes... Really.

You have no clue how much pain 13 well-trained Marines can dish out. They most certainly would NOT put Sergeant Schmuckatelli and 12 privates straight out of SOI on this multi-billion-$$ transport - more like Force Recon, scout-snipers, FAST teams, and other SOF-type Marines.