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| Science & Technology |
| Air Combat by Remote Control |
| 2008-05-12 |
| The sniper never knew what hit him. The Marines patrolling the street below were taking fire, but did not have a clear shot at the third-story window that the sniper was shooting from. They were pinned down and called for reinforcements. Help came from a Predator drone circling the skies 20 miles away. As the unmanned plane closed in, the infrared camera underneath its nose picked up the muzzle flashes from the window. The sniper was still firing when the Predator's 100-pound Hellfire missile came through the window and eliminated the threat. The airman who fired that missile was 8,000 miles away, here at Creech Air Force Base, home of the 432nd air wing. The 432nd officially "stood up," in the jargon of the Air Force, on May 1, 2007. One year later, two dozen of its drones patrol the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan every hour of every day. And almost all of them are flown by two-man crews sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of a "ground control station" (GCS) in the Nevada desert. . . . |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #11 Airman or pilot? Pilot (F-16) |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-05-12 22:29 |
| #10 IIRC, US NAVY > Selected AEGIS surface warfare ships are being equipped not only wid improved BMD missle systems, but also wid UAV + USV assets. THE NAVY IS ALSO GETTING INTO A BUDGET BATTLE WID THE US CONGRESS OVER WHETHER TO PROCEED WID FULL POST-NIMITZ CLASS CV21 DEV, OR CONVERT PRE-EXISTING NIMITZ-CLASS HULLS TO CV21 STANDARD. *ANALOGY > MARITIME VERSION OF THE 19th CENTURY STRUGGLE FOR THE US "OLD WEST" + MANIFEST DESTINY, i.e. US Armed Service [CAVALRY = now USN] debating wid the USG + DHS ["War Dept"] over where to set up NEW HORSE CAVALRY FORTS = SEA "FORTS" [Battlespace Nodes] TO DEFEND AND PROTECT "FRONTIER" CATTLE TRAILS/SETTLERS + "TERRITORIES" = OWG GLOBAL FREE TRADE ZONES??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-05-12 19:53 |
| #9 OP, Creech is NOT the former Area 51. It is an adjunct to Nellis, just a bit farther north of LV. It is right off a main road, not way out in the desert. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2008-05-12 16:02 |
| #8 Thanks OP. I thought the AF was trying to keep the pilot job for officers only. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-05-12 14:58 |
| #7 Actually, most of the controllers for Predators and Global Hawk aircraft are NOT pilots, but airmen. They get six to eight months' training, and then it's hands-on. There are two men to each mission, plus supervision from a pilot officer who is actually the one that allows the release of weapons. Creech is the former "Area 51". |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-05-12 14:44 |
| #6 This development comes about 40 years too late for me. As a kid, I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Unfortunately, I have 20/200 eyesight. Since one of the basic requirements for pilots is 20/20 vision, I had no chance. I can't see why driving one of these UAV's requires perfect eyes. For that matter, someone in a wheelchair could probably fly one (unless you need to use pedals like in a real airplane). Certainly, you don't have to be in perfect physical condition, since you don't need to withstand g-forces. |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-05-12 13:46 |
| #5 This is a good fit for Warrant Officers but the Air Force will resist. Minimum skill sets should require an FAA pilots license as that gives a minimum skill set w/r to aviation and weather. (This is especially true where the UAV's might be used in civilian airspace. Most usage at this time is in airspace that is under military control). Then come the specific systems and weapons training. Does this require a highly trained combat or transport pilot? Probably not. However, it is a good chance that those who have the required skills and training should be Warrants in order to retain them as specialists not waste them in command duties. I suspect that there a lot of Air Force pilots wish there was a Warrant Officer program for them as they just want to fly. |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-05-12 11:22 |
| #4 My questions is really whether the USAF is now allowing enlisted personnel to drive and operate UAVs. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-05-12 09:53 |
| #3 The Predators are actually 'flown' by a crew of several people. The pilot typically is not the one controlling the weapon systems. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-05-12 09:33 |
| #2 Airman or pilot? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-05-12 09:08 |
| #1 Hellfire Missile - 58000 Individual Servicemen's Group Life Insurance - 450000 Dead terrorist - priceless |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-05-12 09:04 |