Filling the Skies with Robot Assassins: The Drone Wars Have Begun

Filling the Skies with Robot Assassins: The Drone Wars Have Begun

www.alternet.org

They came to life as surveillance tools during the wars over the former Yugoslavia, were armed by February 2001, were hastily pressed into operation in Afghanistan after 9/11, and like many weapons systems, began to evolve generationally. As they did, they developed from surveillance eyes in the sky into something far more sinister and previously restricted to terra firma: assassins. One of the earliest armed acts of a CIA-piloted Predator, back in November 2002, was an assassination mission over Yemen in which a jeep, reputedly transporting six suspected al-Qaeda operatives, was incinerated.

Today, the most advanced UAV, the Reaper, housing up to four Hellfire missiles and two 500-pound bombs, packs the sort of punch once reserved for a jet fighter. Dispatched to the skies over the farthest reaches of the American empire, powered by a 1,000-horsepower turbo prop engine at its rear, the Reaper can fly at up to 21,000 feet for up to 22 hours (until fuel runs short), streaming back live footage from three cameras (or sending it to troops on the ground) --- 16,000 hours of video a month

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The government wants us to believe that "drone wars" represent a new era in the history of high-tech weaponry used for assassinations. However, they've been using their drones to shoot foreign & domestic facilities & people within their target's vicinity for years.

Today, we increasingly display our assassination wares with pride. To us, at least, it seems perfectly normal for assassination aerial operations to be a part of an open discussion in Washington and in the media. Consider this a new definition of "progress" in our world.

They can't hide the fact that they've had those drones or anti-gravity vehicles for decades. Even police-officers have been using drones (to spy on foreign & domestic targets, including us).

Unmanned Spy Drones to be used by Police on US Citizens

Unmanned Drones are watching us at home and work

As usual, many government-controlled reporters have been trying hard to convince the public that drones have only been used on Iraqi insurgents & other brown people, who are looking for trouble. In reality, those things are often used on innocent freedom-loving folks & privacy-advocates, all over the world.

CNN Anderson360 on Army's Drone First Kill

The US Army's MQ-5B/C Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle made its first kill in Iraq this month, reports Defense Tech. (The CIA and Air Force's drones have been killing for years, but this is a first [note: that's false] for the army.)

military drones wash up on alabama beaches

Several unmanned military drones with U.S. Air Force markings washed ashore in Alabama and forced the closure of a portion of at least one beach... An official said the drone was a target that was apparently shot down in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a weapons system evaluation program.

www.alternet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 8-4-2009 by News And History]

Originally posted by News And History
military drones wash up on alabama beaches

Several unmanned military drones with U.S. Air Force markings washed ashore in Alabama and forced the closure of a portion of at least one beach... An official said the drone was a target that was apparently shot down in the Gulf of Mexico as part of a weapons system evaluation program.

www.alternet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 8-4-2009 by News And History]

Drones were first used in Vietnam as recon and targets for the military. Target drones are just that, they fly and get shot down, they have no cameras or weapons.

Early drones were carried on DC-130 aircraft, and flew a preset path that couldn't be changed once in flight. They were light years from current drones. Current drones are controlled real time, and are the first to carry weapons of any kind.

The Reaper/Predator B is the first and only UCAV that I know of that is in service. The others only carry sensors, and not weapons. There is a new generation of UCAV in testing that will be capable of air to air combat, but it's still several years from operation.

This IS a huge leap forward in technology and it is something new. Until the Predator and other systems came out, the technology wasn't there to real time control them as far away as they fly them. They would have to program flights and let them go and hope they got recovered after they crash landed.

The government wants us to believe that "drone wars" represent a new era in the history of high-tech weaponry used for assassinations. However, they've been using their drones to shoot foreign & domestic facilities & people within their target's vicinity for years.

The government calls them UAV's or UCAV's, not drones. Can you please provide examples of them being used to destroy foreign and domestic targets?

They can't hide the fact that they've had those drones or anti-gravity vehicles for decades.

Give examples. And Anti-gravity vehicles???

As usual, many government-controlled reporters have been trying hard to convince the public that drones have only been used on Iraqi insurgents & other brown people, who are looking for trouble. In reality, those things are often used on innocent freedom-loving folks & privacy-advocates, all over the world.

Give examples.

he CIA and Air Force's drones have been killing for years, but this is a first [note: that's false] for the army.)

Why is it false?

Just about every statement on that article was BS, or sensationalist #. The author is an Obama supporter, you can tell because cancelling a single carrier is in the 'right direction'. Christ I get the feeling everything done by Obama is in the apparently in the 'right direction', when it clearly, is not.

[edit on 8/4/2009 by C0bzz]

reply to post by C0bzz


Have to along with you on your assessment. I quit reading when the OP referred to the U.S. as the "American empire".

I used to think these people did not want the U.S. in a war because Americans died in foreign countries for foreign causes.

Now I see that they don't care about the U.S. inventing new technologies to minimize our casualties, it's the terrorists that they mostly feel sorry for.




[edit on 4/8/2009 by centurion1211]

reply to post by centurion1211

I've never referred to the U.S. as the "American Empire". I've have seen some of my posts edited by strangers though. Enjoy yourself, but deny your imagination.

reply to post by C0bzz

You're targeting the wrong individual. I have nothing to prove to deniers of the truth. Suck up that pride & blow it somewhere else. If you want examples, use your head & a reliable search-engine.

The truth is not worth debating or tracking for someone, who isn't willing to except reality in the 1st place. That's for you & people of your ilk. Live and learn what's important & do what's necessary for yourself (especially denying your ego).

[edit on 8-4-2009 by News And History]

Originally posted by News And History
reply to post by centurion1211

 

I've never referred to the U.S. as the "American Empire". I've have seen some of my posts edited by strangers though.

Enjoy yourself, but deny your imagination.

[edit on 8-4-2009 by News And History]

Yo, news and history.

Did you read your own article that YOU posted?

It's right there.

I said when I got to that, I quit reading the rest of it.

Oh, and try losing some of that arrogance before posting further. It does not lend itself to either conversation or debate.

Good rule to follow: Your "reality" is not necessarily the truth, or even anyone else's reality.

Simple as that.

[edit on 4/8/2009 by centurion1211]

I see drones as the natural evolution of technology. Nothing new really.

My only concern is if civilians are killed by one of them is the operator responsible?

I'm sure if a fighter pilot makes an error in judgment he.she is accountable right?