From The Register:The new head of the US Air Force - replacing an officer who was fired at least in part for dragging his feet on unmanned air operations - has hinted that the service may relax its rule that drone aircraft must be flown by fully qualified military pilots.
Answering written questions from Senators prior to his confirmation hearing, General Norton Schwarz wrote: “It may well be that a blend of rated and non-rated operators makes the most sense. If confirmed, I will come to a conclusion on this issue quickly.”
At the moment, US Air Force Predator and Predator-B/Reaper UAVs are handled throughout every flight by commissioned officer pilots with wings on their chests, fully trained and rated to fly manned military aircraft. There is also a sensor operator, usually a non-commissioned person not qualified as aircrew - hence much cheaper and easier to find.
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My Comment: This is the future of war. Machines that operate 24/7. Machines that can easily go into enemy territory. Machines that are all seeing and hearing. Machines that are not afraid. Machines that are durable and can only be taken down with heavy ordinance.
The ideal soldier in the future will not be the 180 lb. guy with muscles and high IQ, it is the guy who has great hand/eye coordination in front of a computer screen.
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