Saturday, March 10, 2018

US: USAF’s Predator retires after 22 years service.


(US) 23 years ago in 1995, the USAF ushered in the age of drone warfare with its first active deployment of the MQ-1B Predator when it was used over the skies. Whilst the use of UAVs wasn't new, the use of satellite technology in which to allow controllers in the US to pilot the UAV remotely and thus near to military and political leaders allowing real time answers to real time situations revolutionised the battlefield. The US now had a system which could monitor inaccessible areas 24 hours a day,  with no risk to the person flying it, in fact so impressed was the US, that it wasn’t long before they weaponised the Predator and drones fitted with Hellfire missiles were flying over Afghanistan by the latter part of 2001.


This ability to strike 24/7 in the middle of the enemies’ backyard soon earned the scorn of the do-gooders, the terrorists they champion and the liberal media, who quickly demonised the use of UAVs as robotic warfare which will result in unmanned killings. The irony here is that that each UAV has 2 pilots, backed up by a team of advisors there in real time, one who must have set foot on the ground in question. The go-head for any strike must be given from the head of department. In otherwords never has there been more people in the picture, plus (At the moment) UAVs don’t carry 2000lb bombs but rather precision guided weapons which by their very nature have a much smaller warhead. But hey its killings naughty people and to the left that is a crime.
Anyway, after almost 23 years of service, the USAF has finally retired the MQ-1B Predator to the history books .