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Home Front: WoT

Military Use of Unmanned Aircraft Soars

2008-01-02

WASHINGTON (AP) - The military's reliance on unmanned aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned. And new Defense Department figures obtained by The AP show that the Air Force more than doubled its monthly use of drones between January and October, forcing it to take pilots out of the air and shift them to remote flying duty to meet part of the demand.

The dramatic increase in the development and use of drones across the armed services reflects what will be an even more aggressive effort over the next 25 years, according to the new report.

The jump in Iraq coincided with the build up of U.S. forces this summer as the military swelled its ranks to quell the violence in Baghdad. But Pentagon officials said that even as troops begin to slowly come home this year, the use of Predators, Global Hawks, Shadows and Ravens will not likely slow.

Posted by:Steve White

#9 In one recent example of what they can do, a Predator caught sight of three militants firing mortars at U.S. forces in November in Balad, Iraq. The drone fired an air-to-ground missile, killing the three, according to video footage the Air Force released.

Allahu akbar!

Posted by: WTF 2008-01-02 23:14

#8 Don't forget the NAVY + even NASA.

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-02 20:54

#7 You'd think so ... but the Predator and Global Hawk class UAVs are flown by pilots

Sic transit gloria The Last Starfighter

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-01-02 15:57

#6 ahem:
¿forcing it to take pilots out of the air and shift them to remote flying duty to meet part of the demand? [said in husky whispered voice]

hummm...

"The bulk of the unmanned flight hours belong to the Army's workhorse drone, the Raven, which weighs just four pounds and is used by smaller units, such as companies and battalions, in Iraq and Afghanistan."

"The Army has a total of 361 unmanned aircraft in Iraq alone - including Shadows, Hunters and Ravens. And in the first 10 months of 2007, they flew more than 300,000 hours."

Correct me if ima wrong but only the Predator and Global Hawk rely on and regularly use of USA based operators.

I recognize there are several other UAVs.. special UAVs and Coalition UAVs that I didn't include, but their use in any volumn does not pull jet jockies down from the sky.

I believe this AP reporter has some numbers and fact problems woven thru & thru, but That isn't News is it LOL!, In fact it's the standard by which we filter every cotton picken article today.

feedback from those in the loop plz...

Posted by: Lashkar-e-Dawg 2008-01-02 13:41

#5 They're a cross between a railroad box car and those trailors parked at construction sites. ;-)

Posted by: lotp 2008-01-02 12:13

#4 A lot of work goes into the ground control stations for the pilot and sensor crews on these

There's a joke about par 3 courses and poor fairway in there somewhere. ;>

Posted by: Thomas Woof 2008-01-02 12:11

#3 Hey, I got quite a few hours in 'Wings over Vietnam' - I know that the UAV operation is a bit more complicated but it is in my interest if/when the time comes. I also hear that are a good number of applicants for this field; highly competitive.

Out of curiousity for those of you who know, how long is an ASVAB test good for (or is it something taken before every application)?

Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-01-02 11:21

#2 You'd think so ... but the Predator and Global Hawk class UAVs are flown by pilots not gameboy veterans. A lot of work goes into the ground control stations for the pilot and sensor crews on these.

Posted by: lotp 2008-01-02 11:05

#1 The video games geeks' hour of glory.

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-01-02 03:57

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