Killer Drones Join the Battle

Posted September 16, 2007

The Air Force Times reports that on September 1, US Army scouts in Iraq spotted two men planting a roadside bomb. They called in a nearby Hunter unmanned aircraft, which
dropped a laser-guided bomb and killed the two men. This is the first confirmed use of a weaponized UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), according to the Army.

The Army is rapidly scaling up its use of UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Hunter, for example, carries a 42 lb laser-guided glide bomb that has a one-yard wingspan and is accurate to within a meter. The latest model weighs 1,940-pounds, costs $2
million, is packed with modern avionics, and has fuel-efficient diesel engines that enable it to fly for 21 hours at
altitudes up to 15,000 ft. It has no seats and no windows — but can carry a JDAMs (for precision use in urban environments) or Hellfire missiles (where collateral damage is less of a risk).

that enable it to fly for 21 hours at
altitudes up to 15,000 ft. It has no seats and no windows — but can
carry a JDAMs (for precision use in urban environments) or Hellfire
missiles (where collateral damage is less of a risk). The increased use of video (which is now deployed in most
aircraft and many ground vehicles to enable troops to see around
corners and over hills in battle) raises some interesting questions.

Can combat become entirely remote controlled?

Technology
has been enabling combatants to kill each other at a greater distance
for centuries. Adding video sensors, avionics, and good software is a
natural (and cost effective) progression. Video feeds are now
ubiquitous in combat operations and the number of feeds beamed from
UAVs has jumped to 1,000, up from 200 just six months ago. Wait until
there are 100,000 video feeds — or a million. And there will be. Of
course you need soldiers installing and interpreting video feeds and
doing the work that can only be done on the ground. But people behave
better when they know they are on camera — and soldiers fight better
when they know what is around the corner.

How remote is remote?

Some
UAV "pilots" flying missions in Iraq work out of battlefield trailers
not far from their drones. Others work in air conditioned offices in
Nevada. These guys get home to see their kids soccer games. War is not
equally hellish for everyone.

Will kids notice the difference?

America’s
middle class is producing a generation of young people with great hand
eye and and eye mouse coordination who have racked up thousands of
hours in video combat. UAVs may help those army recruiting numbers.
Except for the push-ups, some kids may not notice that they enlisted.

Can I play too?

The explosion of digital video feeds in military
surveillance, communications and reconnaissance operations — using
UAVs and ground based video — may benefit from online networks. There
are already security cameras at industrial facilities and border
crossings that are monitored by citizens who report unusual activities.
Why not let qualified Americans and Iraqis watch every road in Iraq for
guys planting IEDs? If the war is televised, we can not only watch –
we can participate.