I read the Times today that the US Air Force is now training more drone pilots than actual pilots.

I read the Times today that the US Air Force is now training more drone pilots than actual pilots.

 

'Tis the future...

 

But if a drone pilot was incapicitated, could you land his drone?

 

 

:lol:

Are drone pilots officers or enlisted personal, or a mix of both? I always wondered what type of back ground the guys who fly these have. It would be interesting to see how our sim skills would do if given a chance to fly one. I would imagine if you have at least 50 hours or so PIC time in something like a C-172 combined with thousands of hours of serious PC sim time, you could probably do ok.

"I am quite confident that in the foreseeable future armed conflict will not

take the form of huge land armies facing each other across extended battle

lines, as they did in World War I and World War II or, for that matter, as

they would have if NATO had faced the Warsaw Pact on the field of battle."

-General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

http://www.military-quotes.com/Schwarzkopf.htm

 

Yes, a drone bomber airforce (1000 machines or more) could bomb any country back into the stone age in a relatively short time by taking out its power stations, arms factories,food processing factories, bridges, TV and radio stations, airfields etc with precision surgical strikes with a minimum of collateral civilian damage.

The enemy army could hide but would have to wheel its tanks out sooner or later, then they'd get hit too.

"Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please."

Niccolò Machiavelli

 

It will not be known what happens with all these high tech gadgets until after a global conflict, It is possible that a nations dependency on them may become their undoing.

Yes, a drone bomber airforce (1000 machines or more) could bomb any country back into the stone age in a relatively short time by taking out its power stations, arms factories,food processing factories, bridges, TV and radio stations, airfields etc with precision surgical strikes with a minimum of collateral civilian damage.

 

By implication ,when you destroy a country's infrastructure you also inevitably kill many innocent civilians in the process.

There is no such thing as minimun collateral damage in modern warfare.This has been proven time and time again.

"I am quite confident that in the foreseeable future armed conflict will not

take the form of huge land armies facing each other across extended battle

lines, as they did in World War I and World War II or, for that matter, as

they would have if NATO had faced the Warsaw Pact on the field of battle."

-General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

http://www.military-...Schwarzkopf.htm

 

Yes, a drone bomber airforce (1000 machines or more) could bomb any country back into the stone age in a relatively short time by taking out its power stations, arms factories,food processing factories, bridges, TV and radio stations, airfields etc with precision surgical strikes with a minimum of collateral civilian damage.

The enemy army could hide but would have to wheel its tanks out sooner or later, then they'd get hit too.

 

On the other hand a high Air Force officer recently said it would be several decades before drones could operate in contested airspace. In Afghanistan (and environs) they work because there's no one with the technology to pose a serious threat, as long as they fly above the range of small arms fire.

 

By implication ,when you destroy a country's infrastructure you also inevitably kill many innocent civilians in the process.

There is no such thing as minimun collateral damage in modern warfare.This has been proven time and time again.

 

Well compared to the carpet bombing campaigns of WWII the collateral damage in modern warfare is certainly minimum, whether that minimum is acceptable is another matter entirely.

"Well compared to the carpet bombing campaigns of WWII the collateral damage in modern warfare is certainly minimum, whether that minimum is acceptable is another matter entirely."

 

That's a fair point. However, the firestorms and mass civilian city bombings of WW2 were a deliberate policy ('demoralise' the enemy), rather than the incidental result of the primitive (by modern standards) bomb-sights of the time, so it could still happen in theory.

 

It could be argued, though, that with smart enough military targeting, such desperate measures would never be seen to be necessary. Personally I wouldn't bet on that.

'Tis the future...

 

But if a drone pilot was incapicitated, could you land his drone?

 

 

:lol:

 

One of the goal's of technology is to dumb down and make everything and anything easier. Maybe someday, that pilot will just push three buttons: takeoff, bomb and land. Granted someone behind the scenes will be programming the waypoints, speeds, targets, checking whether etc.. In this case technology created a job for someone.

Can fly drones in North Dakota for uncle sam in the comfort of office chair, and that state bread and butter now is drone flying. They are now offering degrees in flying one and repairing one. Airspace of Drones may scare those ranchers and farmers who don't want tax audit from a drone.

Are drone pilots officers or enlisted personal, or a mix of both? I always wondered what type of back ground the guys who fly these have. It would be interesting to see how our sim skills would do if given a chance to fly one. I would imagine if you have at least 50 hours or so PIC time in something like a C-172 combined with thousands of hours of serious PC sim time, you could probably do ok.

 

I have a few friends that flew drones after flight school and they are all contracted civilians. Make about $80,000 and have some amazing food while they fly in air conditioned trailers.

One of my friends here in Wellington was a software programmer on those drones, he is US Citizen working here on another programming contract at the moment. He is a wee bit hush hush about it but he had a lot to say about the one lost in Iran. The USA should have blown that one to dust when they had the chance.

I work with a man whose son went into the USAF and went to pilot training. After testing, he was offered a job flying C-130's or drones for the Air Force. He chose drones. His Dad says he is very closed lipped about the missions he has flown. He has been stationed overseas a couple of times.

Hmm. Not sure I entirely like the idea of drones as the solution to waging war.

 

I think it makes for very one sided war, and therefore a disproportionate advantage to one side. This is happening a little bit too often now, anyway.

 

There is much less of an appetite for war once the bodies start piling up on your side; if each side had a fairly equal chance of loss of life, I'd like to think we would think twice as to using conflict as a means to an end in the first place.

Hmm. Not sure I entirely like the idea of drones as the solution to waging war.

 

I think it makes for very one sided war, and therefore a disproportionate advantage to one side. This is happening a little bit too often now, anyway.

 

There is much less of an appetite for war once the bodies start piling up on your side; if each side had a fairly equal chance of loss of life, I'd like to think we would think twice as to using conflict as a means to an end in the first place.

 

Unfortunately history proves you wrong.