Funny, on my list of things I’ve wanted to talk with you about for a long time are drones! Remote control killing machines! Cool!
Now Iran has one of ours that malfunctioned. One of the most advanced, bat-winged, jet powered rq-170 sentinel drones. Some worry its top secret technology will be shared with Russia and China, but military analysts say much of the technology was already known by foreign military’s. Drones provided surveillance helped us get bin Laden and Anwar al Alaki! Unlike fighter jets with pilots in the cockpit that require refueling, the drone was able to fly high above Alaki's compound 24 hours a day for weeks just waiting for him to come outside. Eventually he did and with precision, laser guided missiles blew him to smithereens by U.S. military personnel sitting at a desk, like a video game! Drones have cutting edge cameras, cell-phone listening devices and can even sniff the air pollutants from potential underground nuclear labs.
With the increased use of drones we can add fighter pilots to the list of jobs being phased out. Due to our human, physical limitations, the drone is capable of pulling more extreme g's and staying in the air for longer periods of time and more. It’s actually a good thing, but every time I watch Top Gun I still fantasize about flying the F-14 Tomcat like Tom Cruise's character "Maverick" who somehow just wouldn't have been as cool sitting behind a video monitor working a joystick. But Top Gun is a movie and war isn't about cool, it’s about defeating the enemy and when it comes to high tech killing, drones are the future!
