Posted on 08/28/2007 8:05:56 AM PDT by nypokerface
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army soon will deploy a faster and more lethal pilotless plane to Afghanistan and then to Iraq, it was reported Tuesday.
The Reaper flies three times as fast and can carry eight times more weapons than the Predator, the pilotless U.S. plane in use since 2001, USA Today reported.
The Reaper, with its longer range and speed, is well suited to roust Taliban fighters from Afghanistan's vast and mountainous terrain, said Brig. Gen. James Poss, director of intelligence for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
Deploying to Afghanistan this fall, the Reaper squadron will start with four planes and ultimately grow to 20 planes, USA Today said.
The Reaper is expected to be in more demand than the Predators, which this year logged more than 70,000 flight hours, more than triple the total in 2003, USA Today reported.
Reaper! Excellent news!
But with all these new UCAVs coming out all over the world I’m worried that we’re going to run out of cool names for new ones within as little as fifteen years. After that they’re all be called “Edsel” or “Marvin”.
I always thought that these drones could be used in different capacities.
1. Fly along our coasts with radiation detection devices.
2. Spray flourescent dyes along the border and trace footprints, tire prints. Guide ICE officials to the prints.
3. Same thing along the Iranian and Syrian borders but instead of ICE, fire missiles at the prints.
4. Make them stealthy and give them to the Israelis, Taiwanese, Brazilian and Polish militaries as Christmas presents. Mount sparrows on them as a bonus gift.
Sound of cowbells - Blue Oyster Cult - Don’t Fear The Reaper - NOT!
Cool plane, but it needs a grinning shark mouth and mean eyes painted on the nose.
Also, putting the Blüe Öyster Cült emblem on the wings would be neat.
That is all. Secure from General Quarters.
Don’t even need dyes, just put an IR camera on them. Easy to detect body heat on a cool night.
Who says playing video games won't get you a job?
But Achmed the Awful is never going to see it.
Make it STOPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!
The more aggressive we get against the Taliban and al-quaida the better.
One has to believe that technological advances over the past decade should provide ample opportunity to “get some” of these terrorists.
My son is a Weapons Director in the Air Force.
He sits at a radar console and directs aircraft in the battlefield.
He tells his Mom, "You thought all the video games was a waste of time. Now, this is the ultimate video game."
Great story. Many thanks to your family and your son.
Nothing personal but Loose lips sink ships?
Achmed the Awful needs to know about it, so he can start spending all his time looking over his shoulder.
Not that looking over his shoulder will actually do him any good ...
I don’t think UAV’s are a secret.
With a flight ceiling above 50,000 feet, it's way out of range for a hand-held SAM. So the system is pretty safe. The ability to loiter and get to a target in a few minutes means better ground support.
But none of this is new or secret, it's just the next evolution from the Lightning Bug.
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