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About the Story: It’s hard to believe, but “soldiers” who are sitting in a control room in Riverside, Calif., can protect our troops thousands of miles away in Iraq. It’s possible through remote-controlled military drones. Roger Cooper goes to see how these unmanned flying gadgets are being used in more than just war zones. (TRT: 7:53)

Fighting a War Remotely

Publish date: December 5, 2007
Last updated: May 1, 2009

Reporter's NOTES

Roger Cooper
When people hear about it the first time, they find it hard to believe. But it’s true.

There are California Air National Guard members who show up for work each day in Riverside County and, by remote control, fly unmanned drones that are flying over Iraq and Afghanistan on the other side of the globe. Then, after a shift spent operating in a combat zone, they go home at night to a normal life here in the U.S.

We talked with guard members at March Air Reserve Base about how they perform their new mission, flying Predator drones through a satellite link in support of U.S. troops who are on the ground overseas. They tell us what it’s like to be involved in what has to be the ultimate in telecommuting.

Insider Viewpoints

Last month, there was a vigorous debate over a radical, and I believe, ultimately misguided, proposal to disband the U.S. Air Force. The Army, however, seems to have its own solution: It's going to buy its own damned air force.

Writing at Aviation Week's Ares blog, Bill Sweetman reports on Army plans to buy 540 armed drones: “According to [General Atomics-ASI's Steve] May, the Army is looking at acquiring as many as 45 complete Sky Warrior systems once full-rate production starts in 2011—each with 12 air vehicles, 540 UAVs in all. The Sky Warrior resembles the USAF MQ-1L Predator but is heavier and more powerful, routinely carrying eight Hellfire missiles.” As Bill also notes, Air Force reps at the conference were, well, unhappy. I can only imagine.

--Excerpt taken from Wired Blog Network’s Danger Room’s “Army Buys Up Robot Air Force” Article by Sharon Weinberger

On Friday [February 16, 2007], the Navy released its formal request to industry for airborne drones to perform sea-search missions as part of its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, or BAMS, program…The objective, the document states, is to have enough drones for a single round-the-clock orbit by 2013 and, eventually, enough for five orbits.

That’s generally understood to mean around 50 aircraft. There's nothing strange about the RFP itself…but the Navy's behavior in the months leading up to the request was supremely weird.

The service has been real twitchy about BAMS, denying requests for interviews by journalists, declining to cite the expected cost of the program and releasing the RFP without a wide announcement. Contrast this to the behavior of, say, Army officials in the Future Combat Systems program or the Air Force regarding the F-35 Lightning fighter. The latter two seem to understand the value of openness and transparency when it comes to spending billions of the taxpayers' dollars; the Navy doesn't—at least, not as far as BAMS is concerned…

--Excerpt taken from Aviation Week’s “Navy Twitchy About Drones” Blog by David Axe and Amy Butler

COMMUNITY VIEWPOINTS

12.06.2007 | 11:23 am
As new applications for cutting-edge technology are developed, hundreds–if not thousands–of job opportunities will be created. The drone is a great example of this.

Ten years ago, I could not envision telling my students the prospect of flying a remote-control aircraft for a living. The drone and other new inventions are sure to change the way “we” view and function in the world.

BUT, how far will the benefits of this new technology reach? Will technology narrow the gap between nations or further separate us into the haves or have-nots?

As Abraham Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Or Sam Houston’s phrase: “A nation divided against itself cannot stand.” Can a world divided against itself be able to stand?

porverbio - La Puente, California

12.06.2007 | 6:57 am
Where’s the story?

Phil - Forest Park, Georgia

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