US Air Force training more drone operators than pilots

4:00AM Monday Aug 24, 2009
By Edward Helmore

As part of an expanding programme of battlefield automation, the American Air Force has said it is now training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots.

In a controversial shift in military thinking - one encouraged by the death of Pakistani Taleban leader Baitullah Mehsud in a drone strike on August 5 - the Air Force is looking to hugely expand its fleet of unmanned aircraft by 2047.

Three years ago, the service was able to fly just 12 drones at a time; now it can fly more than 50.

At a trade conference outside Washington last week, military contractors presented a future vision in which pilotless drones serve as fighters, bombers and transports, even automatic mini-drones which attack in swarms.

Five thousand robotic vehicles and drones are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. By 2015, the Pentagon's US$230 billion ($339 billion) arms procurement programme Future Combat Systems expects 15 per cent of America's armed forces to be robotic.

A recent study, The Unmanned Aircraft System Flight Plan 2020-2047, predicted a boom in drone funding to US$55 billion by 2020 with the greatest changes coming in the 2040s.

"The capability provided by the unmanned aircraft is game-changing," said General Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff. "We can have eyes 24/7 on our adversaries."

Currently airborne drones are directed by trained pilots who then return to their assigned aircraft.

This year, the service started training drone operators with no airborne experience.

- OBSERVER

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objecti...

Views: 67

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by Marklar on August 24, 2009 at 3:10pm

Comment by Mimsgirl on August 24, 2009 at 12:52am
Recently I watched an interview with a drone pilot and the interviewer asked if it was hard to fire on People knowing that probably innocent people would be injured or killed. The pilot was bothered until he finished his shift and went home to his wife, children, and the security of a normal life. Getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, gathering children for school was routine for him... but.. when he entered the control room and became a predator pilot... his whole world changed. It was completely set a-part from his "normal" life and became a duty.... part of the job. Sending the missiles was another part of the job, sometimes regrettable, but necessary. I worry if the orders were to wipe out a nest of American terrorists, you know, the ones who quote the Constitution and respect life, what would happen? It would probably be regrettable but... well.. orders are orders. I hope, if it were to happen, there would be a little regret.
Actually...... if it were to happen... I would hope the American people would storm the cess-pits where the Elite hide from the light of day (so they won't burst into flames) with pitchforks and burning torches to eradicate the vermin responsible. On second thought... why wait??
Comment by TheLasersShadow on August 23, 2009 at 7:55pm
Its 10 times easier for the executioner's ... i mean the pilot's to pull the trigger thousands of miles away from a video game like display than to be overhead in the vehicle itself. The new pilots will be asked eventually to pull the trigger with extreme prejudice on civilians in America. The old pilots flying the planes they know wont follow illegal orders but the new video game trained public school educated drone pilots will pull the trigger with out thought or hesitation.

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

cheeki kea favorited FREEDOMROX's blog post THE END: 2046
8 hours ago
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post What is Consciousness and Does it Have to be In a Certain Body?
"Um err... is it whatever the brain believes it to be, will manifest. You know what, there really…"
11 hours ago
Sandy posted a video

The future of ai exposed in new ad 😱 *must see* #palantirtechnologies #ai #conspiracy

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
16 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
20 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Who was the Better Drummer Paul McCartney or Ringo?

 In contrast to the earlier interviews with Paul McCartney before the alleged fatal car accident in…See More
Wednesday
FREEDOMROX posted a blog post

THE END: 2046

Hello again my fellow travelers in life.     Today, I will not delve into politics, the economy,…See More
Tuesday
FREEDOMROX commented on FREEDOMROX's blog post Common Sense look at Elon gated Musk rat
"Just to show I am still around... :P"
Tuesday
FREEDOMROX favorited Doc Vega's blog post Why Was The TV Show “The Outer Limits” Such a Threat?
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Undeclared Ongoing War With China

 Just one day after meeting with President Trump in China. Xi Ji Ping has a meeting with Russian…See More
Monday
Doc Vega's 2 blog posts were featured
Monday
tjdavis posted a photo
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The US Federal Government Who is Really in Charge? Tulsi Gets Raided?

 Just 24 hours ago the office of Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard was raided by the CIA at…See More
May 15
tjdavis posted photos
May 14
tjdavis posted a blog post
May 13
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Latest Craze

Their demonic little waysThe news is just a biased arrayThe higher taxes they want you to…See More
May 12
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's photo
Thumbnail

A Banished Poet

"An interesting snippet from world poetry day this year to learn of the first poet excited from the…"
May 12
cheeki kea posted a photo
May 12
cheeki kea commented on Sandy's photo
Thumbnail

FB_IMG_1772349325558

"Good Point!  Our Indo European friends in Iran gave the devil a good write down ( and Jesus a…"
May 11
Doc Vega posted blog posts
May 11
Burbia's blog post was featured

How much money makes anyone have a god complex?

Trump makes a meme of himself as Jesus Christ. Soros says he fancied himself a sort of god.In 2004,…See More
May 10

© 2026   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted