The Dawn Of Robot Wars

No, I'm not talking about Battle Bots here. I speaking about full on unmanned system vs. unmanned system in actual combat. This new era got off with a real bang when an MQ-9 Reaper dropped a 500-lb laser guided bomb on a remotely controlled Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) in Iraq last week marking a historic first. The Reaper, which began combat patrols in Iraq last month is really proving its mettle to the battlefield commanders over there as it starts to assume the roles previously occupied by manned systems. 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Micah Morgan, said that they "searched for, found, fixed, targeted and destroyed a [threat] with just one aircraft." The Air Force already has an entire wing of UCAVs, but I'm thinking that's just the start. It won't be long before unmanned systems outnumber manned aircraft and pilots are exiled to air conditioned trailers where they play war half a world away. Countries around the world are following suit with development of their unmanned systems as well. Perhaps it will be the Major League Gamers that help us usher in the robotic apocalypse. Can anyone say Skynet?

[Aviation Week via Gizmodo]

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Reaper Debuts In Iraqi Combat Patrols

The US Air Force's newest hunter-killer drone made it's Iraqi combat debut on July 18 as it slides into the routine patrol duty typically assigned to F-16s. The MQ-9 Reaper (formerly known as the Predator B) saw its first combat in Afghanistan last fall and quickly garnered respect for its capabilities. The British in Afghanistan even call the 5-ton Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) a "mini A-10." Defense Secretary Robert Gates' mandate to get "more surveillance systems into the fight" was a driving force in the Reaper's Iraqi deployment. By May of this year the Air Force had drones in 24 round-the-clock orbits to support the "War On Terror" and they anticipate meeting a goal of 50 orbits by year's end. There are only about a dozen Reapers in service now, so I'm not sure how they'll reach that number unless they deploy more Predators or other UAVs.


Essentially a Predator on steroids, the Reaper exceeds its predecessor in every way. Instead of a piston engine, the Reaper has a 600 shp turboprop pushing this killer to 200 kts, up a 130 kts from the Predator's top speed, giving it the ability to take out more time sensitive targets. The beefier engine also allows for a nastier payload of weaponry. Where as the Predator could only carry two Hellfire missiles, the Reaper can carry four...plus two laser-guided Paveway II bombs or two GPS guided JDAMs making this one mean robot warrior. And if the enemy is not out to play, no problem. The Reaper can loiter for quite some time up there at 50,000 feet. It has a range of 3,200 nautical miles. Each Reaper costs the Air Force $53 million a pop and it can be remotely operated by a pilot and sensor operator far from the actual fighting.



(Danger Room)

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