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The Terminator universe is perhaps not as rich as some people would have liked in terms of machines. For a franchise that focuses on a robot-led apocalypse, there are surprisingly few robots, bots, drones, and other some such doing the rounds.
The thing, an infantry robot by trade, gets a brief stint in Terminator Salvation and later on in The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series, and it’s not exactly the most capable of the bunch: conventional bullets can damage it and heavy loads can crush it. So, not exactly something you’d want your fancy real-world weapons to be associated with.
Yet T-600 is the name chosen by defense contractor BAE Systems and its partner Malloy Aeronautics for a vertical take-off and landing demonstrator aircraft that needs no crew to go about its military business.
The T-600 drone is not small, coming in at around the same dimensions as a small passenger car. It is powered by electric motors and batteries powerful enough to allow it to carry 200 kg (441 pounds) of cargo.
The drone can move through the air at speeds of 140 kph (87 mph), and can hold enough electricity to keep going for as much as 80 km (50 miles).
Designed as a larger and more capable variant of the Malloy T-150 already in use at the hands of the British and American military, the demonstrator is supposed to eventually spawn a production version heavy-lift drone.
Called T-650, that one will be deployed for use in a variety of scenarios, including military, commercial and humanitarian. Before that happens though, its precursor has to demonstrate what it is capable of.
And it did, showing at least part of its capabilities during the Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Uncrewed Systems (REPMUS) exercise held over in Portugal by 15 NATO countries.
While there, the drone was used to carry a Sting Ray anti-submarine torpedo in an inert state and drop it into the water. The drone proved it could easily do that, adding a new dimension of danger to maritime warfare. It was the first time the T-600 was used for a mission at sea of this kind.
There is no mention made of when we are to expect the successor of the Terminator-named T-600 drone to begin operational service, but given how Malloy says the drone moved from concept to operational stage in record time, it’ll probably be soon.
When ready, the production version T-650 will be suitable for resupply missions, medevac, and anti-submarine warfare.
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