Posted on 05/12/2008 10:07:01 AM PDT by shrinkermd
The sniper never knew what hit him. The Marines patrolling the street below were taking fire, but did not have a clear shot at the third-story window that the sniper was shooting from. They were pinned down and called for reinforcements.
Help came from a Predator drone circling the skies 20 miles away. As the unmanned plane closed in, the infrared camera underneath its nose picked up the muzzle flashes from the window. The sniper was still firing when the Predator's 100-pound Hellfire missile came through the window and eliminated the threat.
The airman who fired that missile was 8,000 miles away, here at Creech Air Force Base, home of the 432nd air wing. The 432nd officially "stood up," in the jargon of the Air Force, on May 1, 2007. One year later, two dozen of its drones patrol the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan every hour of every day. And almost all of them are flown by two-man crews sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of a "ground control station" (GCS) in the Nevada desert
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Remote Hellfire from the skies! I love it.
predator ping. hat tip to dcwusmc!
This new technology shall save a lot of American military lives in the years to come, as you can well surmise.
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I think I saw them also testing a small saucer shaped UAV out in the SW desert
The inventor/developer was in a MilCH film - I moved quite fast - not an easy object to spot or ID
It would come very close to people on the ground - then move quickly - looked capable of tight turns and rapid climbing
A small charge aboard could ruin your whole day
Slingshot launches rings a bell with me too
With a tiny onboard TV camera you could hit any target you wanted - right through a window too
When the war in Iraq first started I recall reading about all the amazing items of warfare that were being developed.
Like a killing laser or missile that could be aimed into a crowd and hit just the person targeted. A helmet that would allow you to see information flashed inside a clear face mask, etc. Amazing things - but I’ve never heard more about them.
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Interesting stuff
After a while I started watching the simple equipment and makeshift transportation of the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan and compared it to the Hi-Tek but heavy armor and armored vehicles of our troops
Lots of caution by our troops and “rules of engagement” that force our troops to ID or capture instead of kill
Unlike WWII or Korea or Vietnam
If we fought WII like that we would be all speaking German today
I have serious doubts about our officers and the training and staffing of our combat units today
Lots of cute heavy gizmos does not always prevail against an enemy that does not play by rules at all
In short - We are not serious about winning when we fight the way we are now
A huge modern force up against a small primitive group of civilian dressed fighters
WWII Germans or Americans would have made short work of the enemy in Iraq today
War is now a Washington video game with a democrat Congress running the show
Ahh but our Military is good. I know you read the Australian soldier’s letter to his father where he praises and admires the US troops so much.
The fault has to lie with their superiors and the superiors directions from Washington. Don’t you think?
I just kinda write down my thoughts, but I know you watch and study things more.
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Our troops are good
The way the military is training and using some personnel is dumb
Congress listens to the ACLU and CAIR
I may take another 911 or more before we have a President who tells Congress to shut up and get their heads right
It reminds me of PETA and the teacher’s unions playing chess except this is not a game
During WWII Obama would have been tried, convicted, and imprisoned by now
And Eisenhower’s idiotic granddaughter is supporting Obama!
Our government does a stupid thing I believe. They treat the people as children and hide things that should be told.
They should have kept telling about any suspicious attempts that could have been terroristic. It’s the only way they could have kept it in the foreground of people’s minds and then they wouldn’t be so opposed to the WOT.
Which Nixon daughter married an Eisenhower? Trisha?
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