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To: Paul Ross
ABOARD THE USS HARRY S TRUMAN (AP) - The Navy lags well behind the Air Force in the development of armed drones -- the unmanned aircraft now used increasingly in Iraq and Afghanistan -- insisting that its "Top Gun" fighter pilots are still smarter, better and more flexible in combat.

40 automated drones can do a much better job of locating and pinning the enemy down for a potential kill than relying on satelitte observation that will be shot down early in the next global war and a single manned pilot.

8 posted on 06/02/2008 3:15:05 PM PDT by Centurion2000 (Party ahead of principles; eventually you'll be selling out anything to anyone for the right price.)
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To: Centurion2000

Won’t that drone be recieving its commands from that satelitte also?


9 posted on 06/02/2008 3:26:57 PM PDT by Always Independent
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To: Centurion2000
40 automated drones

Automated how? No operator?

... can do a much better job of locating and pinning the enemy down for a potential kill than relying on satelitte observation that will be shot down early in the next global war and a single manned pilot.

Actually the UAVs are as much if not more dependent on our GPS/NAVSATs than our manned aircraft. And the cost ratio is not 40 to one. Not even close to that cheap. E.g., Global Hawk is one of 25 military systems whose unit cost increased by more than 50 percent from their original estimate. Each plane is $15 million. And they come in units of four. An F-22 can currently be bought for about $120 million flyaway unit cost.

And if we get serious about procurement...we can realize real savings.


13 posted on 06/02/2008 3:51:48 PM PDT by Paul Ross (Ronald Reagan-1987:"We are always willing to be trade partners but never trade patsies.")
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