Drones: America's New Air Force

MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle

From CBS 60 Minutes:

60 Minutes' Lara Logan Reports On The Increasing Use Of Drones In The Battlefield

(CBS) Every so often in the history of war, a new weapon comes along that fundamentally rewrites the rules of battle. This is a story about a revolution in unmanned aviation that is doing just that.

Most people know them as drones; the Air Force calls them "unmanned aerial vehicles." And right now, there are dozens of them in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, hunting down insurgents, every minute of every day.

They've become one of the most important planes in the United States Air Force - and yet, the pilot is nowhere near the aircraft or the battlefield. They are controlled by remote control, from thousands of miles away.

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My Comment: Check out Lara Logan's video report .... it is cool.

Predators Lack Precision In Prey

MQ-9

From The Lamron:

Predator drone aircraft are taking pilots out of the heat of battle, but moral and practical problems arise.

Despite their questionable legality in international law and the public opinion backlash they create in the Islamic world, drone attacks have been viewed by the new U.S. administration as extremely effective.

In the time since President Barack Obama took the oath of office, there have been about 120 deaths in eight drone attacks inside Pakistan.

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My Comment: This writer is more concerned about "the moral, legal (?) and practical problems that arise than the procedures that are used in making the MQ-9 the effective tool that it is. If the Reaper was not effective, this program would have been terminated a long time ago.

Taliban: We Shot Down A U.S. Drone Over Pakistan

The MQ-9 Reaper taxies into Creech Air Force Base, Nev., home to the newly reactivated 432nd Wing. The 432nd Wing consists of six operations squadrons and a maintenance squadron for the Air Force fleet of 60 MQ-1 Predator and six MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr. Source: USAF

From The Danger Room:

In the last year, U.S. drones have struck militant compounds in Pakistan more than 40 times, killing hundreds. Over the weekend, the local Taliban shot down one of the unmanned aircraft that have been so deadly to the jihadists.

That is, if you believe the militants. So far, though, no wreckage has been found. And officials on all sides are denying any shoot-down took place.

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My Comment: True or not .... it is only a question of time before one is shot down. I say so what .... there are dozens more coming down the assembly line.

Predator Passes 500,000 Flight Hours

Photo: CREECH AFB, Nev. - A MQ-1B Predator unmanned aircraft system takes off for a training mission at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr.)

From The National Guard:

CREECH AFB, Nev. (2/20/09) - Airmen of the 432d Air Expeditionary Wing made history Feb. 18, when an aircrew flew the MQ-1B Predator Unmanned Aircraft Systems in a combat mission in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility surpassing the 500,000 flight hour mark.

Members of the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron flew the milestone mission in support of operations in Iraq.

"A half-a-million flying hours is an amazing accomplishment and the Airmen of the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron are proud to be a part of this milestone," said Lt. Col. Ken Callahan, 15 RS director of operations. "The 15 RS currently flies 28 percent of all MQ-1B Predator combat air patrols over Iraq and Afghanistan and we're able to meet the needs of the Joint Force Commanders for this no-fail 24/7 combat ops mission because of the hard work and dedication of our total force team of active duty, Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard Airmen here."

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My Comment: 500,000 hours .... that is impressive for a program that was non-existant a few years ago.

Death From Above: How Predator Is Taking Its Toll On Al-Qaeda

A Predator drone: from as far away as Nevada, in the heart of the US, controllers on the ground are able to strike at bases used by the leadership of al-Qaeda in the borderlands of Pakistan. Casualties have been heavy and new leaders are often not well-known

From Times Online:

Unmanned and heavily armed drones are killing off the 'senior management'

The top hierarchy of al-Qaeda has taken such a hit from US missile strikes that Osama bin Laden and his deputy have had to replace people in the terrorist organisation with men they have never met, according to Western intelligence sources.

A dozen of al-Qaeda’s “senior management” have been killed by Predator drone attacks, which have been so effective in locating their targets that the militant group has been forced to move from traditional outdoor training camps to classroom-style facilities that are hidden from view.

After the success of the new weapons, which are unmanned and operate by remote control from 15,000 feet, the United States is to step up its drone attacks. On January 1 Hellfire missiles, operated from an air force base in Nevada, hit targets in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, close to Afghanistan, and yesterday two missiles slammed into the stronghold where Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taleban leader, is believed to live.

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My Comment: This is how the top leadership of Al Qaeda will be found and destroyed.

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in Pakistan Drone War (Updated)

From Wired Magazine:

America's top commander in Afghanistan says he doesn't have anything to do with the flurry of U.S. killer drone attacks in the nearby border regions of Pakistan.

In an interview with Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, General David McKiernan, the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said, "these drones do not come under my command."

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My Comment: Rules of engagement .... jurisdictional responsibilities .... legal oversight .... etc. etc. etc. After a while this becomes very annoying. But if it works, and the bad guys are gone, who am I to complain.

Unmanned Bomber Both 'Hunter,' Eye In The Sky

U.S. Central Command's Combined Air and Space Operations Center is located in a secret location in Southeast Asia. Hundreds of U.S. troops monitor the ongoing events for evidence of al Qaeda or insurgent activity. (U.S. Air Force)

From The Washington Times

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada | In a top-secret facility only 40 minutes from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas strip, two Air Force pilots prepared for takeoff on a mission to support troops in combat.

Lt. Col. Christopher Gough and Staff Sgt. Jonah Graw, with the 42nd Attack Squadron, were "flying" a plane halfway around the world, one of the military's most precious, secret and controversial assets: a bomber called the MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial System, otherwise known as the Reaper.

Grim Reaper is what it is sometimes called. The medium- to high-altitude aircraft can carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles — seven times more than its predecessor, the Predator. The Reaper's main mission is to "hunt and kill," but the pilots operate the craft from the safety of this air base in Indian Springs, Nev.

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My Comment: The shape of things to come.

The Dealy But Accurate Impact Of U.S. Drones On Taliban Targets In Pakistan

U.S. Drone Strikes With Deadly Accuracy -- ABC News

The Strike Was One of the Deepest Inside Pakistan Since Missile Attacks Began Years Ago
Two missiles destroyed a militant hideout and killed an al Qaeda commander today in one of the deepest U.S. strikes into Pakistan, underscoring the lethal and effective link between intelligence and technology that is helping the United States wage a covert war against militants.

The missile strike on the edge of the village of Bannu in Pakistani's volatile Northwest Frontier province was at least the 24th since early August and the first outside of Pakistan's lawless tribal areas. It killed Abdullah al Azam al-Saudi, a local al Qaeda leader, current and former Pakistani intelligence officials tell ABC News.

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My Comment: What is incredible is that the technology is getting better and more accurate. We are clearly at the start of a new age .... and one can only imagine what will be in the battlefield within the next 10 years.

U.S.Sharing Predator Video with Afghanistan, Pakistan

An MQ-9 Reaper taxis down a runway in Afghanistan. The Reaper has been flying in Afghanistan since September; it flew its first combat mission in Iraq on July 19. Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson / Air Force

From The Danger Room:

In a presentation last night in Washington, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan let slip an interesting detail: The United States is sharing top-secret video feeds from Predator drones with the Afghan and Pakistani militaries.

Describing "tripartite" co-operation between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force, Gen. David McKiernan said:

We exchange frequencies, we exchange intelligence, we have a Predator feed going down to the one border coordination center at Torkham Gate that's looked at by the Pak military, Afghan military and ISAF. So we're coordinating at various levels.

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My Comment: The Predator has evolved into an incredible battlefield weapon. I am not surprised to learn that both Afghanistan and Pakistan want to look at the intelligence it is producing.

Call Off Your Drones

Photo from Defense Update

From Slate:

Negotiating with Pakistan over remote-controlled killing.

By tonight—trust me—Barack Obama will be president-elect of the United States. One of the first messes he'll face is the insurgency in Afghanistan. Specifically, he'll have to decide what to do about the robot proxy war in Pakistan.

If you've been following Human Nature's coverage of this war, you know the players: On one side, anti-American insurgents from al-Qaida and the Taliban; on the other, unmanned aerial spying and killing machines operated from the United States. We're less than thrilled about putting American troops on the ground in the treacherous physical and political terrain of northwest Pakistan. We tried it once, and the Pakistani government basically threatened to fight us. So we're hunting our enemies there by remote control, with drones. The death tally from the drones since August is around 100.

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My Comment: An examination on what is Pakistan's strategy, and U.S. strategy to permit the use of these weapon systems.

Struggle Between Terrorists And Drones

Predator UAV (Photo from Defense-Update)

Drones vs. Terrorists -- Slate

Are terrorists regaining the advantage over our killing machines?

Here's a quick sketch of where the fight stands. In attacks that escalated from the 1970s through Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists exploited and demonstrated a huge advantage over life-valuing societies: They're willing to target our civilians and use their own civilians as suicidal mass killers. We're unwilling to reciprocate. In broader terms, they're more willing to kill and die than we are.

In the last few years, however, we've developed a countermeasure: drones. By sending mechanical proxies to do our spying and killing, we avoid risking our lives. Recently, Taliban and al-Qaida fighters in Pakistan have gone into Afghanistan and killed our troops. Instead of sending our troops into Pakistan, we've sent drones. Since August, the drones have fired at least 19 missiles at targets in Pakistan. Since the drones fly overhead and aren't human, we can send them many miles into Pakistan and get them out without fear. Unlike ground troops, they can take their time identifying targets, thereby minimizing civilian casualties. The New York Times reports, for example, that last Friday's drone strike on a religious school killed eight people, "all of them militant fighters, according to local residents."

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My Comment: A fascinating read ....

The New U.S. Air Force

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Capt. Richard Koll, left, and Airman 1st Class Mike Eulo perform function checks after launching an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle Aug. 7, 2007 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Captain Koll, the pilot, and Airman Eulo, the sensor operator, will handle the Predator in a radius of approximately 25 miles around the base before handing it off to personnel stationed in the United States to continue its mission. Scrambling to meet commanders' insatiable demands for unmanned aircraft, the Air Force is launched two new training programs Wednesday Oct. 22, 2008, including an experimental one that would churn out up to 1,100 desperately needed pilots to fly the drones over Iraq and Afghanistan. As many as 700 Air Force personnel have expressed some interest in the test program, which will create a new brand of pilot for the drones, which are flown by remote control from a base in Nevada. (AP Photo/US Air Force - Master Sgt. Steve Horton)

Air Force Creates New Pilot Programs For Drones
-- Yahoo News/AP

WASHINGTON – Scrambling to meet commanders' insatiable demands for unmanned aircraft, the Air Force is launching two new training programs, including an experimental one that would churn out up to 1,100 desperately needed pilots to fly the drones over Iraq and Afghanistan.

As many as 700 Air Force personnel have expressed some interest in the test program, which will create a new brand of pilot for the drones, which are flown by remote control from a base in Nevada. That new drone operator will learn the basics of flying a small manned plane, but will not go through the longer, more rigorous training that their fighter jet brethren receive.

A senior Air Force officer told The Associated Press that by the end of September 2011, the goal is to have 50 unmanned combat air patrols operating 24 hours a day, largely over Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently there are 30.

To generate the pilots for the increased flights, the Air Force hopes to create separate pilot pipelines for its manned and unmanned aircraft, said Col. Curt Sheldon, assistant to the director of air operations for unmanned aircraft issues.

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My Comment: Pilotless UAVs and the technology behind it has clearly assisted U.S. forces in their counter insurgency campaigns. I am sure that every military organization in the world is now looking at this.

Predator UAVs With High-Res Video Is An Effective Weapon Against Insurgents

(Click To Enlarge)
An MQ-9 Reaper waits out a haboob beneath a shelter on Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Sept. 8, 2008. Haboobs are sandstorms that result from the collapse of thunderstorm cells. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jason Epley

The Real Time Video Revolution -- Strategy Page

October 16, 2008: The U.S. Army and Air Force are so anxious to get as many UAVs to Afghanistan, or aircraft that can act as UAVs (like fighters with targeting pods, or other manned aircraft with real time video capability), because commanders have discovered that "persistent video" is a crucial battlefield advantage. Time and again, in Iraq and Afghanistan, when the ground commander had enough airborne RTV (real time video), the enemy was at a severe disadvantage. Put simply, with enough RTV, you could see nearly everything the enemy was doing, while the enemy had much less awareness of what U.S. forces were up to, or about to do. Add to that night-vision devices, thermal sensors, and smart bombs and missiles, and you have a combination that produces all those lop-sided victories you read about.

How much RTV is enough? It depends on the battle, but half a dozen Predators (or similar UAVs), or manned aircraft with similar capabilities, will usually do it. Add a few of the micro-UAVs and helicopter gunships (who also have night vision devices, but usually can't share their RTV), and you have the battlefield covered. Where the RTV is really crucial is in "preparing the battlefield." For example, you get a tip that the bad guys are operating in a certain area. Maybe it's a mountain valley in Afghanistan, or a village outside Baghdad. If you can put two or three UAVs over the area for a day or so, you can detect any hostile operations in progress. While many of the enemy are on to this possibility, they cannot stay hidden from the RTV at all times, especially at night (when the cooler temperatures make it easier for the heat sensors to pick out who is moving around down there.) Even Special Forces scouts on stakeout (usually in some remote area, in pursuit of a terrorist big shot) can use some RTV from above to make sure their subject does not slip away.

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My Comment: The Predator/Reaper UAVs are an incredibly effective weapon against insurgents .... both in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would not be surprised to see more of these weapon systems in war theaters very soon.

U.S. Military Says Drone Went Down In Afghanistan

U.S. Military Says Drone Went Down
In Afghanistan -- Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military drone went down in eastern Afghanistan with engine problems on Tuesday but was recovered immediately and was never near the Pakistan border, a military spokesman said on Wednesday.

U.S. Army Capt. Christian Patterson said in a telephone call from Afghanistan that the unmanned aerial vehicle was being operated by U.S. armed forces when it crashed in Paktika province.

"It was recovered immediately after it went down," Patterson said. "It wasn't close to the border."

He gave no details about the vehicle's operation or mission.

News of the problem drone coincided with Pakistani reports that a suspected pilotless U.S. drone crashed in northwestern Pakistan near the border village of Angor Adda, where U.S. commandos launched a raid on September 3.

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My Comment: The coincidences are interesting ..... hmmmm ......

US Unmanned Military Aircraft Makes Trans-Atlantic Flight

A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., made a trans-Atlantic flight Sept. 20 with the assistance of Navy officials. The 19-hour flight took off from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., to Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Miranda Moorer.)

Focus on Defense:

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va., Sept 23, 2008 -- An Air Combat Command RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., made a trans-Atlantic flight Sept. 20 with the assistance of Navy officials.

The 19-hour flight from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., to Southwest Asia had Air Force and Navy officials working together to save time and resources.

"The Navy has all of the supplies that we have, plus contracted support," said Airman 1st Class Matthew Milles, an avionics specialist. "It's a lot easier than just going to a remote location. Working hand in hand with the Navy moves the plane faster to the deployed location."

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Higher-tech Predators Targeting Pakistan

From The L.A. Times:

WASHINGTON -- As part of an escalating offensive against extremist targets in Pakistan, the United States is deploying Predator aircraft equipped with sophisticated new surveillance systems that were instrumental in crippling the insurgency in Iraq, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.

The use of the specially equipped drones comes amid a fundamental shift in U.S. strategy in the area. After years of deferring to Pakistani authorities, the Bush administration is turning toward unilateral American military operations -- a gambit that could increase pressure on Islamic militants but risks alienating a country that has been a key counter-terrorism ally.

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My Comment: The future of warfare is now.

What Does It Take To Fly A Predator In The Air For 24 Hours

Predator Taxiing

The Great UAV Pilot Shortage -- Strategy Page

September 1, 2008: The U.S. Air Force has a record number (nearly a hundred) of Predator and Reaper UAVs in service. But so far this year, seven have been in major accidents (causing more than a million dollars in damage), and since 2003, another twenty have been hurt bad. Turns out that two-thirds of those losses are because of human error. Early on, most of the losses were due to equipment failure, but now the cause is usually the operator (a pilot retrained to operate a Predator) error. The air force blames this on the need to train so many new UAV operators quickly. But this is largely a self-inflicted problem. The air force insists on UAV operators already being manned aircraft pilots, and allowed most of them to spend only three years operating UAVs before returning to manned aircraft.

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My Comment: I am surprise that there are only 100 UAVs in service. I thought there were many more.

I mentioned in a previous post that the requirement that all UAV pilots must be active pilots is a waste of resources and training. I would not be surprised that future UAV pilots will be people who may not be suitable for flying aircraft, but because they have the proper eye-hand coordination to handle a UAV drone on a computer screen .... they will be the pilots who will be selectively trained to just handle this type of weaponry.

At Odds With Air Force, U.S. Army Adds Its Own Aviation Unit

Raven Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Ever since the Army lost its warplanes to a newly independent Air Force after World War II, soldiers have depended on the sister service for help from the sky, from bombing and strafing to transport and surveillance.

But the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have frayed the relationship, with Army officers making increasingly vocal complaints that the Air Force is not pulling its weight.

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My Comment: This was a long time coming. Complaints about cooperation between the services have been around for a long time, but the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have unraveled these relationships, clearly showing that numerous problems now exist. Warfare in the 21rst century is now based on intelligence and precision attacks, minimizing civilian casualties, and using your resources as "smartly as possible".

The Air Force emphasis on expensive F-22 Jet Fighters, stealth aircraft, and helicopter attack ships .... have proven to be next to useless in current theaters of operations. Predator crafts, small UAVs .... these are the weapons of choice. They are cheaper, highly effective, and also minimize casualties. The Army is responding to a need ..... the Air Force planners and officers have betted on the wrong horse and are slow to change their course of action.