英国国防部推出无人机

日期英国国防部推出了一款无人机，该机是应该首个自动驾驶是智能隐形无人战斗轰炸机。

Taranis brings together a number of British-developed technologies for the first time in a craft designed to seek out and destroy enemy targets without a human pilot.

Taranis（它是以雷电之神凯尔特为名）将英国开发的一系列技术首次应用其中，为了设计出一种可以寻找并摧毁敌方目标的无人战机。

An audience of MoD officials, industry specialists and journalists received a short glimpse of the aircraft – developed over three and a half years for a cost of £142.5m – on Monday at BAE Systems’ base in Warton, Lancashire.

该机研发耗时3年半，耗资1亿4千2百50万英镑，它在周一的BAE系统公司位于Lancashire的Warton基地展出，并对国防部的官员、行业专家和记者们进行了短时间的展示。

The wedge-shaped craft is about the size of a BAE Systems Hawk − around 12m long with a wingspan of 10m. It was developed under a joint contract between BAE Systems, DE and S, GE Aviation, Qinetiq and Rolls Royce.

这个楔形的飞行器大小和BEA系统公司生产的“鹰”（Hawk）喷气飞机差不多，长12米翼展10米；参与这一飞行器开发的公司有：BEA系统公司、DE&S、GE航空部、Qinetiq、和劳斯莱斯公司。

Referred to as an ’unmanned combat air vehicle’ (UCAV), Taranis has the ability to take off and fly a pre-programmed mission to as far away as another continent, as well as to identify targets and request permission to attack them, all without human intervention.

Taranis被称为“无人战斗机”（UVAV），它可以自行起降通过预先编程设定任务并进行洲际攻击，一旦确定攻击目标和攻击许可，它可以在无人干预的情况下完成任务。

The MoD was keen to stress that any operational vehicle would not leave human control.

但国防部强调要保证飞机的任何行动都要在人的控制之下。

‘It is designed to be, at all times, under the control of a highly trained military operator on the ground and can be operated remotely,’ said Gerald Howarth, minister for international security strategy (ISS).

国际安全战略部（ISS）部长Gerald Howarth说：“它被设计成在任何时候都要受到一个经过严格训练的地面操作人员的控制，并可以进行远程操作。”

Asked if UCAVs would ever be allowed to engage enemy targets without human permission, air chief marshal Simon Bryan, commander in chief of the UK’s Air Command, said: ‘This is a very sensitive area that we are paying a lot of attention to.’

当被问及无人机是否可以在无人控制的情况下攻击敌方目标时，英国空军司令Simon Bryan元帅说：“这是一个十分敏感的问题，我们将会慎重考虑。”

The first flight test will take place in 2011 and weapons capabilities will be simulated. The MoD will use Taranis as a demonstrator to make decisions about what future UK combat craft would be able to do, but it is likely to be at least 2018 before any vehicle goes into production.

该机的首次飞行测试将在2011年进行，而攻击能力测试采用模拟的方式进行。国防部将Taranis作为一个决定英国未来战斗机发展方向的一个验证，但要进入批量生产至少要等到2018年。

‘I anticipate that whatever goes into service will not look like Taranis but will have the technologies developed for it,’ said Nigel Whitehead, BAE’s managing director for programmes and support.

BEA系统公司项目与支持管理中心主任Nigel Whitehead说：“我预计无论Taranis是否服役，这些技术都会被开发。”

Taranis’s biggest technical achievement is the combination of a variety of elements within one vehicle, including autonomy systems developed for existing unmanned craft such as BAE’s Mantis, said Whitehead.

Whitehead说，Taranis最大的技术成果就是将一系列技术在一架飞机上实现，这些技术包括为现有无人机开发自动驾驶技术，如BEA的Mantis系统。

‘A number of the individual technologies involved have been looked at in the past, but bringing them all together was a considerable challenge.’

“一系列的独立的技术开发已经成为过去，但将他们组合起来是一个挑战。”

Other specific technological issues that the Taranis designers faced included positioning the craft’s power source within the middle of the body to help make it invisible to enemy sensors across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Taranis的设计者面临的其他特定的技术难题包括将飞机的动力源放到飞机的中央，以保证它在穿越敌方电磁阵时不被发现。

‘The configuration of the unusual aerodynamics was also a considerable challenge,’ said Whitehead. ‘The craft is finless, so we had to find a way to create directional stability.’

Whitehead说：“非常规的空气动力学外形也是一个挑战，飞行器没有垂直稳定翼，所以我们必须找到一种方法以使飞行方向具有稳定性。”

One of the aims of Taranis was to use only British technology and skills, and the result is a craft that the team claims is unique outside of the US.

设计Taranis时其中一个目标就是采用英国独有的技术和工艺，但结果却是不得不求助美国而采用了美国的独有技术。

‘Based on the information I have, we have capabilities that our European counterparts are envious of, particularly in autonomy,’ said Whitehead.

Whitehead说：“据我所知，我们的技术在欧洲是领先的，特别是在智能控制方面。”

Howarth admitted that the MoD was in discussion with French officials to see if working on bilateral programme would be practical.

Howarth承认国防部与法国讨论过双边合作计划的可行性问题。

The £142.5m of funds used to develop Taranis will take the project to the end of the first flight phase, after which the MoD will have to make a decision about future requirements before further work can continue.

1亿4千2百50万英镑的研发资金是在Taranis飞行测试完成前的经费，而下一步工作要等到国防部决定未来的需求时这一计划才会被继续。

In-depth coverage of the Taranis project can be read by clicking here.