I have no doubt that The Children Of Allah (blech!) have a similar perspective :-)
Posted on 11/08/2007 3:59:59 PM PST by SandRat
The MQ-9s cost has doubled in the last few years, to about $18 million per aircraft. The 4.7 ton Reaper has a wingspan of 66 feet and a payload of 1.7 tons. Only nine are in service, with another five being delivered in the next year. Reaper is considered a combat aircraft, because it can carry over a ton of bombs or missiles. This includes the hundred pound Hellfire missile, and 500 pound laser or GPS guided smart bombs.
Reaper has a laser designator, as well as day and night (infrared) cameras. Reaper can stay in the air for over 14 hours and operate at up to 50,000 feet. It’s sensors have excellent resolution, and are effective at high altitudes. While most of what F-16s (and F-18s) are doing these days is dropping smart bombs, and using their targeting pods to do recon for the ground troops, there are still things the jets can do that Reaper cannot. For example, the jets are often used to intimidate hostile gunmen or civilians. Coming down low and fast, the jets make a lot of noise, and a menacing impression. The jets can also maintain air superiority, keeping hostile aircraft out of the area. Reaper, in theory, has some capability in that area. You could hang some Sidewinder (heat seeking) missiles on a Reaper, and be able to attack hostile helicopters. It’s less likely that anyone would try to mount a machine-gun pod on a Reaper. Low level strafing attacks are too risky with a UAV being piloted by someone on the other side of the planet.
That sure beats 19 cranky people who have to endure a 14 hour flight without using the restroom. It uses a lot less fuel too.
“I’d hate to see that in my rear view mirror.”
Bet we’ll see that scene in a movie within the next year or so.
Eye/hand coordination is meaningless with the round trip delays imposed by a double satellite control link. Locking a missile on target and releasing is a much more controlled operation by comparison.
Are these control stations deask-and-chair, or enclosed, full-motion simulator pods? If not the latter, I’d strongly advocate making them so. That would enable more complete tactile feedback that would more fully equip the remote pilot respond to the attitude of the craft.
Befitting of the intended audience, IMO.
Dial-up is so 90’s.
Some things are just too cruel.
Jinxie,
I do not think they carry AIM-9’s
JJ
I could be mistaken though.
Have you ever seen the movie : LAWRENCE OF ARABIA? It’s about WWI in the arabian peninsula. Early on is the scene where the turkish airplanes are bombing the arab encampment. 100 years later and it’s still the same, updated scene : aerial bombing of the camel jockeys.
The question then is will we go the way of the ottoman empire, with the pelosi-traitors trying to ham-string us like T.E. Lawrence did by blowing up turkish trains(terrorist acts), or PATTON-PREVAIL : no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the OTHER poor dumb bastard die for HIS country.
These MQ-9 birds may be technical marvels, but there’s only 7 of them, and the terrorists have MILLIONS of fanatics to call upon. It’s a quality vs quantity competition and never forget : the nazis in WWII were FAR superior in technology to the allies, and they still lost.
Thus I see 7 birds as insignificant to the overall WOT, 7000 might do it, but 7? That’s like pouring a cup of water into the ocean...
Gotta start somewhere.
I have no doubt that The Children Of Allah (blech!) have a similar perspective :-)
Needs more cowbell...;)
That's what worries me. That aerial map I posted of the Kunar Province showing the Korengal Valley? - My grandson is there with the 173rd Airborne Task Force -
It's remote, mountainous, getting bitter cold - and they are under all but constant fire - Bin Laden considers the Korengal his home turf - it's where he trained the Twin Tower bombers, it's where he scoots too down the mountains come winter - they even have aerial photos of him doing just that only 2 years ago - it's isolated from the rest of Afghanistan- it's still very hostile...
The troops base is primitive - 45 minutes = very dangerous ones - to the nearest running water...at their FOB - which is still isolated -
provides an eloquent answer to the jihadi's nonsense about defeating us because they love death and we love Pepsi.
I'm guessing the pilot can get one of his mess-mates to bring him a Pepsi while providing the jihadis with a big dose of what they profess to love.
That’s where the difference lies : if you have a forward base on their turf, you’re fighting them on their terms. Again, quality vs quantity; they’ll outnumber us every time as they have LEGIONS of cannon fodder thirsting to go to hell(with 70 DEMONS, not virgins, awaiting them).
Once again we’re fighting the vietcong gorilla but the battlefield doesn’t allow for a lot of jungle cover. If it was MY UAV I’d use it more as an IR spotter, and let short range(cheap) rockets w/GPS guidance go 20-50 miles to take out a target, fired from the forward base. The MQ-9A only has a handful of bombs, short range/precise rockets could be on hand at the forward fire base, by the thousands, beyond the range of mortars, RPGs.
That then would force them to fight on YOUR terms : hi tech quality vs their low tech quantity. You’d CREAM them, even in their high/cold mountain valleys(w/even better IR visibility).
Now we’ll be ready for the Decepticons when they come back in the second Transformers movie.
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