Royal Air Force Maj. Kevin Gambold monitors and pilots an MQ-1 Predator at Ali Air Base, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2008. Photo: Airman 1st Class Jonathan Snyder/U.S. Air Force
LT. Col. T. Mark McCurley, Politico: I Was a Drone Warrior for 11 Years. I Regret Nothing.
I'll never forget the time I prevented a young Predator pilot from making an illegal shot. The incident stands in stark contrast with the expert conduct that I typically witnessed from professional aviators flying the U.S. Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs), commonly known as drones.
The Intercept’s recently released “drone papers” paint a picture of unprofessional and bloodthirsty behavior by the crews manning the Predator and other drones. Certainly, war is chaos, and mistakes do happen. But in my 11 years flying the Predator, I was satisfied to see how few actually did. While the “drone papers” would have you believe otherwise, drone pilots are subject to the exact same rigorous checks and balances used for all military operations—and then some. (After all, is there a difference between bombs dropped off a drone or a fighter?) And when we make a gross error, we also risk going to jail.
WNU Editor: A different take from this blog post two days ago .... A Look At The Drone Pilots Who Kill People From 7,800 Miles Away.
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