The future of remote-control air warfare
Posted 08.13.2009 at 5:56 pm
3 Comments
September 2009 Issue
Illustration by Nick Kaloterakis
Features
Point. Click. Kill: Inside The Air Force's Frantic Unmanned Reinvention
The age of remote-control warfare isn't coming--it's here, and not even the Air Force, which made it happen, is entirely prepared. Here, a firsthand look at the struggle to train thousands of drone pilots virtually overnight. By Eric Hagerman
PopSci U: Seven of the Country's Coolest SciTech Courses
So you want to explore the deepest caves? Design the cars of the future? Fire rockets? Don’t wait until you graduate. Here are 10 college programs that offer the most fun per credit—and can help you land your ideal job. By Rena Marie Pacella
Real Genius: Eight Brilliant Inventors Still in High School
While their peers worry about zits, these rising young stars are designing lunar bioreactors and new cancer drugs. What did you accomplish before turning 18? Meet our eight future Edisons here. By Blaire Briody
MIT For Free
The world’s most prestigious universities have begun posting entire curricula on the Web—for free. But how much can you really learn with a DIY online education? I enrolled to find out. By Josh Dean
Green Dream: Putting the Earth to Work With a Geothermal Heating System
Drilling a geothermal well to help cool and heat the dream home. By John B. Carnett
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Recently the first stateside 'Operator' that was not a military pilot, was trained and stationed here in the states. The 'Gamers' could be setting the course for the future of military action. The cost of one F-22 is about equal to 12 UAV's. As Joseph Stalin once said, "Quantity has a Quality of it's own"
While I was in the military, I saw the one of the first armed Predators being used against the Iraqi Air Force. In fact, when we were transcribing the IAF comms, we were told not to include it in the transcript because it was still a heavily guarded secret.
Considering how scared the Iraqis were of any possible engagement with our Air Force -- and the Iraqi pilot in this instance even ran back to base when this happened -- I thought, "How cowardly could we possibly be?" Just like anybody can be a big shot on the Internet, I suppose the US military thinks it's really tough when it doesn't have to shed blood with its own hands.
Spectacle!