US Killer Robo-Plane Makes Strike Without Remote pilotP

We don't need no stinkin' pilots.

From The Register:

A US killer drone has carried out a lethal strike from the skies above Iraq, for the first time remotely controlled entirely by non-aircrew-rated, enlisted soldiers. The milestone would seem to foreshadow redundancy for large communities of military pilots in coming years.

According to a release from Multinational Division North, flagged up by the Danger Room blog at Wired magazine, a US Army Warrior-Alpha delivered the strike in support of American and Iraqi troops on the ground. The Warrior-Alpha, a highly automated version of the famous Predator drone, was controlled by Staff Sergeant Jerry Rhoades, Corporal Phillip Cheng and Specialist James Pegg.

According to Rhoades:

“We neutralized both targets – [the ground forces] were satisfied... This was the first time the Warrior Alpha System engaged a target in combat.”

Read more .....

My Comment: This is the shape of things to come. I would not be surprise to see (in the years to come) a special corp/division established whose sole responsibilities will be to handle all robot/unmanned tools of war.

Army Killer Drone Takes First Shots in Combat

Warrior – Evolving Gnat Genera from General Atomics
The UAV component of TF ODIN is the ‘Warrior Alpha’, an development of the earlier I-GNAT with features of the larger Predator A (including Rotax 914 piston engine and the bulbous dome on the upper nose for satellite uplinks). Another Predator feature are optional mountings for the Hellfire missile. In effect, General Atomics has re-evolved Predator A in a cheaper, less complex I-GNAT package. Image from Canadian American Strategic Review

From The Danger Room:

The CIA's drone strikes in Pakistan may be getting all the press, but the Army is also deploying a deadly new pilotless aircraft, the Warrior-Alpha.

Late last month, a Warrior-Alpha belonging to the Army's Task Force ODIN -- a once-classified unit that combines drones, manned surveillance planes, helicopters, and video downlinks to hunt, track and kill roadside bomb cells -- was the first to fire missiles in combat. According to a news release from Multi-National Division - North, the drone hit insurgents while they were engaged with coalition forces on Feb. 23 in Diyala Province. "We neutralized both targets," the drone's operator said.

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My Comment: An evolution in the UAV fleet. This unmanned vehicle will make a difference in Afghanistan.