Bad, bad ideas

(I've reordered the video and text to maximize comedic effect)

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/03/packbot-flies.html

This isn't the dumbest idea in the history of military robotics. But it sure as sugar ain't the smartest, either.
A few years back, the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command and the Armaments Research, Development, and Engineering Center funded a team from iRobot -- makers of the PackBot line of military unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs -- to see if they could make their square, squat machine fly. CNET reports what happened next:

They came up with the Griffon, an iRobot PackBot prototype strapped to a gasoline-powered, propeller-driven, radio-controlled, steerable parafoil system. The UGV hangs from a superstructure on which is mounted a 32cc Fuji engine behind an 18- by 8-inch propeller.
For the parafoil, the team considered a wide range of extreme sport kite surfing and traction wings but settled on the 11-meter Ozone Razor. This parafoil is attached by two hang points on the sides, with two arms to control the wing surface and a quick release to jettison the whole contraption on touchdown.The PackBot's on-board computer does the driving and controls the gas. Video, audio, and autonomous ground GPS navigation is also a standard PackBot feature.
The kit is designed to be man-packable and could be used by civilian teams for search-and-rescue in hazardous terrain in addition to military recon and strike missions in urban environments, according to the researchers.

CNET says "a prototype was tested a few years ag[o] and apparently worked well." In response, I was going to rant for a paragraph or two about how sending Johnny Five kite-sailing might not be the most slickest move in war time -- especially not when there are hand-launched drones that can fly without the use of a big, red parafoil. But I'm too busy rewatching that video of the Griffon getting stuck in a tree. So feel free to rant yourselves.