Down!

This is coolbert:

"Hey - - no one said this was going to be easy!!"

From the Chicago Tribune of this last Tuesday:

"NATION & WORLD"

"Drones plagued by crashes"

"Pilots never die, but 79 accidents have cost $1M each"

"KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - - The U.s. military, often portrays its drone aircraft as high-tech marvels that can be operated seamlessly from thousand of miles away. But Pentagon accident reports reveal that the pilotless aircraft suffer from frequent system failures, computer failures and human error."

"Altogether, the Air Force says there have been 79 drone accidents coasting at least $1 million each."

"The crash figures do not include drones flown over Pakistan by the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] which does not acknowledge the covert program."

"Drones down"

"Here's a breakdown on the number of crashes":

"On combat missions - - 38"

"During training - - 9"

"Total crashes - 79" [at a cost of 1 $1 million each.]

"Drones in use: Hundreds"

These presumably are drones of the Predator and Reaper persuasion. Combat aircraft, unmanned, with a reconnaissance capability and also able to fire Hellfire missiles - - kill the enemy! "Fight the enemy with the weapons you have, and he does not" - - Suvorov.

Unmanned aircraft of course are NOT totally infallible. NOT expendable either, and no would suggest otherwise. The entire system of aircraft, remote control from the other side of the planet, satellite link, etc., is a marvel, without question, that much is for sure!!

Think too that the cost of $79 million is about what two brand-new F-15 or F-35 fighter planes would cost you. And that does not include the time and money spent to train a combat pilot whose mortal life is in danger each and everytime the pilot takes off on a mission!!

My impression is that the drones during this Afghan conflict are more or less impervious to enemy action? The opposition does not possess the weaponry to shoot-down a high-flying drone. And so far electronic warfare has not been waged against the communication systems and links of the drones and their ground-based pilots. NO electronic combat, jamming, intrusion, hacking, etc.

Remember too that these are a first-generation weapons system that only will be subject to further improvements, refinements! It can only get better?

coolbert.