Pilotless Robot Bomber Squadron Heads for Afghanistan, Iraq

Fox News.com ^ | July 15, 2007

[KeyLargo]

FOXNews.com

Pilotless Robot Bomber Squadron Heads for Afghanistan, Iraq

Monday , July 16, 2007

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq —

The airplane is the size of a jet fighter, powered by a turboprop engine, able to fly at 300 mph and reach 50,000 feet. It's outfitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting, and with a ton and a half of guided bombs and missiles.

The Reaper is loaded, but there's no one on board. Its pilot, as it bombs targets in Iraq, will sit at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada.

The arrival of these outsized U.S. "hunter-killer" drones, in aviation history's first robot attack squadron, will be a watershed moment even in an Iraq that has seen too many innovative ways to hunt and kill.

That moment, one the Air Force will likely low-key, is expected "soon," says the regional U.S. air commander. How soon? "We're still working that," Lt. Gen. Gary North said in an interview.

The Reaper's first combat deployment is expected in Afghanistan, and senior Air Force officers estimate it will land in Iraq sometime between this fall and next spring. They look forward to it.

"With more Reapers, I could send manned airplanes home," North said.....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289380,00.html

[KeyLargo]

[KeyLargo]

Aviation ping.

[Jeff Head]

FYI..already posted and a good discussion on FR going : HERE.

[johnny7]

If nothing else... good decoys for SAM’s...

[hermgem]

That’s why Dem's so urgently want to have this war declared as lost.
Improvements would weaken the Dem's claims of disaster and ruin their chances at election time.

[Lazamataz]

The arrival of these outsized U.S. "hunter-killer" drones, in aviation history's first robot attack squadron

And so it begins.

[Mac94]

Does this mean “SkyNet is now operational? ;-)

[SlowBoat407]

Time to play...

Beat the Reaper!!

[AngelesCrestHighway]

Osama ‘yo mamma where are you? Can you come out and play now?

[PUGACHEV]

The controller is in Nevada, about half a world away, and the signals to and from must travel an even longer path, from outer space and back. I’ve always wondered how they cope with the delay, especially when something like flying an airplane, or shooting at a target, often presumably trying to escape, requires split-second reaction times. It must be quite a trick.

[chrisser]

I was wondering the same...

I guess I can see some benefit to keeping the “pilots” in Nevada, but why not set them up someplace a bit closer, like on a carrier in the Persan Gulf, or even in Kuwait, if not Iraq proper?

[expat_panama]

Neat!!!

A Washtimes article here with this pic:

 

Article in Russian here with this:

[holden]

Pleasantly, I don't imagine all that ground clearance is just to prevent ventral rudder strikes. It must carry an awesome load!

HF

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

They’re not pilotless, they’re remotely piloted. The advantages are obvious.

[narby]

This story is published in several places. Pretty obvious editorializing in this sentence: "... will be a watershed moment even in an Iraq that has seen too many innovative ways to hunt and kill."

Fox didn't write this. It's typical MSM liberal-speak.

[KeyLargo]

“...too many innovative ways to hunt and kill.”

Fox didn’t write this. It’s typical MSM liberal-speak.”

Yep, more crap from the AP and the; “But gee, America doesn’t fight fair” crowd.

Considering that the enemy supported and armed by Iran with some sophisticated IED’s, American armed forces are trying to develop hi-tech defenses against them.

[KeyLargo]

"Look ma, no hands!"

[NY Attitude]

The “Global Hawk” has been around for awhile. We are seeing more and more deployments of UCAVs.