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Also, according to the program on Discovery I saw last night, the Raptor has technology taken from the Harrier, but can not do vertical takeoffs and landings. The Raptor has an adjustable "tailpipe" that changes the angle of force, which in turn allows it far greater maneouverability such as tighter turns than any other fighter. It can also achieve supersonic speeds without engaging afterburners, making it much harder to spot in the night sky (afterburners cause a bright flare-up). Because of this, the Raptor also uses far less fuel than other fighters.
They also said this Raptor jet can perform so extremely as to excert greater G-force than the human body can withstand, and because of that some say that it may be among the last to be piloted by humans. Will we be seeing robot pilots or remotely-operated planes in ten or twenty years?
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