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2010-07-07 Science & Technology

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2010-07-07 10:52|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

#1 "It's a big payoff for the Air Force to make sure the next generation of systems learns from the first generation,"

This hints at the unmentioned and enormous benefit - namely, what generation of development has any other nation attained? The IDF, perhaps, but not in this volume. The Chinese, in simulation, maybe?

Posted by Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-07-07 11:57|| 2010-07-07 11:57|| Front Page Top

#2 The bozo who wrote this article failed to mention how may HVTs these drones have splattered. Seems to me the small cost is worth it.

Posted by FighterAce 2010-07-07 12:46|| 2010-07-07 12:46|| Front Page Top

#3 Add them all together and I doubt it equals the cost of one conventional combat aircraft crash (what's an F-22 go for?) And none of the pilots are dead or captured.

Posted by Glenmore 2010-07-07 12:56|| 2010-07-07 12:56|| Front Page Top

#4 Yep. They're working hard. I don't think manned combat aircraft could come close to this kind of record on the day-to-day stuff. At some point, the effort isn't worth the return. To be fair, I don't know if this program is at that point yet or not.

Posted by gorb 2010-07-07 13:04|| 2010-07-07 13:04|| Front Page Top

#5 also 30 something crashes. how many flights have they made all together? Prob in the tousands i would say , not a big deal in my opinoin.

Posted by chris 2010-07-07 14:52|| 2010-07-07 14:52|| Front Page Top

#6 Article sez current flight time is 20,000 hours per month.

More: "185,000 hours over Afghanistan and Iraq in 2009".

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2010-07-07 15:24|| 2010-07-07 15:24|| Front Page Top

#7 I think the real question is what it would have cost to operate manned aircraft as opposed to drones for the number of hours flown. I suspect the arithmetic falls squarely in favor of drones from a cost standpoint. Just goes to show that for a reporter, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2010-07-07 15:31|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com 2010-07-07 15:31|| Front Page Top

#8 critic = n. (from lat. criticare, to kvetch), "one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" (Oscar Wilde)

Posted by lex 2010-07-07 15:40|| 2010-07-07 15:40|| Front Page Top

#9 zing!

Posted by gorb 2010-07-07 15:45|| 2010-07-07 15:45|| Front Page Top

#10 Between the MQ-1s and MQ-9s, the AF has logged a little over 830,000 hours (about 80% combat hours) as of the end of May.

Posted by rwv 2010-07-07 18:48|| 2010-07-07 18:48|| Front Page Top

#11 HMMMM, HMMMM, well lessirree, WMF says there are 12000 Robots + 7000 UAVS of all types serving in Afghanistan = AFPAK, ergo select = nominal Math says:

To wit,

* 7000 UAVS times _% = 79 drones tote lost
* 7000 UAVS times _% = 38 drones lost in IQAF/AFRAQ [Iraq-Afghan].
* 7000 UAVS times 20,000 flying hours pm =???
* 7000 UAVS times mimima US$3.9Milyuhn = ???

versus

7000 UAVS times maxima US$5.0Milyuhn = ???

DITTO 12,000 Robos + 7000 UAVS = 19,000 Tote Robos-UVS BY ANY OF THE ABOVE + OTHER [e.g. COSTS PER HUMAN PILOT] = ????

Yokay fine, my Klakulator says its worth it.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-07-07 19:33|| 2010-07-07 19:33|| Front Page Top

#12 OOOOPSIES, forgot to say D **** NGED LONG DIVISION!

Posted by JosephMendiola 2010-07-07 19:35|| 2010-07-07 19:35|| Front Page Top

#13 Joe, the 7000 number includes lots of little RPAs like Ravens and Shadows. The article was talking about MQ-1B Predators and MQ-9 Reapers. While the number deployed is classified, the Secretary of Defense has said that our objective is to field 50 MQ-1B/MQ-9 Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) by the end of 2011 and 65 CAPs by end of 2013. A CAP is defined as Predator or Reaper continuously on station.

Posted by rwv 2010-07-07 20:44|| 2010-07-07 20:44|| Front Page Top

#14 All of the crashes added together do not equal the $ value of one fighter plane crash. - That doesn't include the pilot's value either..

End of Story!

Posted by 3dc 2010-07-07 23:42|| 2010-07-07 23:42|| Front Page Top

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