U.S. Sends the Reaper to Iraq

The big brother to the UCAV Predator is now deployed to Iraq. The difference between the two aircraft is armament and loiter time. I like it whenever the U.S. military is able to remove a soldier from harms way while still maintaining the ability to attack the enemy.

Reaper Article

The Reaper can fly faster, higher, farther and carry more weapons than its predecessor, the MQ-1 Predator.

Unlike the Predator, which can carry two laser guided Hellfire missiles, the Reaper carries four Hellfires and two 500-pound GBU-12 laser guided bombs

The article also mentions a 24 hour loiter time. So, this aircraft - which is piloted from Nevada - can basically just silently hang around waiting for some target of opportunity to show themselves, and in seconds it's all over. Now that should put some serious scare into an enemy.

Of course, the Reaper is just to take care of things until squadrons of the autonomous X-45 become operational.

X-45

To all the countries wishing they could even imagine building Reapers, F-22's and F-35's, here's a suggestion: Just feed your people instead of trying to catch a moving target - one that is always so far ahead of you.



[edit on 8/4/2008 by centurion1211]

reply to post by centurion1211


shouldnt the US be doing the same aswell?
thats aimed at your last statement considering the plite of millions of americans.

Originally posted by bodrul
reply to post by centurion1211

 

shouldnt the US be doing the same aswell?
thats aimed at your last statement considering the plite of millions of americans.

The difference is in the percentage of people that need to be taken care of between the U.S. and the countries I'm talking about - and the level of standard of living the people need to be raised to. In the U.S. you're talking about a smaller percentage of needy people raised to a much higher standard of living as compared to most other countries.

On the other hand, I'd prefer to see the U.S. develop defensive technology to the point where it wouldn't matter what the rest of the world did to each other. We'd all come home and sit behind our defensive shield while the rest of you do what you've always done - kill each other. And the lot of you have the ---- to complain about the U.S. when we've been around less that 300 years, while the rest of you have been slaughtering each other for thousands of years.

Total hypocrisy.

I'm all for technology that keeps us safe, I think the more advanced the technology is the less we're going to rely on actual soldiers on foot out there in the battlefield. Someday it'll be robots with people in the rear using joysticks, and honestly I wouldn't mind it being that way. One of two things will happen with warfare either it'll get so advanced we'll destroy the world and the whole human species, or it'll get so advanced that neither side can do anything to injure the other side so war will be ineffective.

Of course I'm hoping for the latter, but I hope we get to either one of those points soon. I think we as human beings have been killing each other in masse numbers based on religion/borders/money for far too long and it shouldn't be continuing.

reply to post by centurion1211


total hypocracy
look clearly into your back yard first
joker

when it comes to it the US cant survive on its own
looking at its export and import ratio

slaughtering for thousends of years
so you guys are making it up in the 300 years?

only time will tell


i would just like to add to stay on topic
that is some nice gear and my general attitude towards centerian is his attitude to other countries and his hypocrtic stand (i know i got spelling mistakes)

[edit on 5-8-2008 by bodrul]

Just remember he doesn't speak for all Americans. I for one think we need to embrace other countries in an effort to become more of a government based upon our species rather than a government based on borders formed by rivers, religions, skin color, and other nonsense.

I know that sounds kind of hippyish, but hey.

reply to post by bodrul


I tried to give you a (actually more than 1) chance for meaningful dialog, bodrul, but all I ever see is bashing the U.S. and now me.

You're now gone.

Have a nice life.

***ignored***

reply to post by centurion1211


thank you very much for the privilage of being on your ignore list
not that you can read this, but its a comfort knowing that its one less
person who sreams anti US, or US bashing replying to me

god bless
also u get a star

reply to post by centurion1211


May I too have the 'honour' of joining your ignore list? Since I too believe your statements in this posting to be incorrect and very short-sighted. It is worrying to see people of any country, not just the US, believe that the rest of the world is somehow inferior to them is cause for concern. Super Powers have a way of changing hands and policies. An enemy today is tomorrow's buyer of our same death dealing technology.. Its business as usual.

Pointing out import-export ratios is a rather uneducated method of saying anything about the U.S. It's the sign of a globalized economy -- Which is something most nations would be all the better to strive for.

Originally posted by Iblis
Pointing out import-export ratios is a rather uneducated method of saying anything about the U.S. It's the sign of a globalized economy -- Which is something most nations would be all the better to strive for.

Agreed, I think you guys would do well to listen to Dr. Michau Kaku (Sp?), he talks alot about different levels of civilization and ours is still Level 0 I think, our whole race can still easily be wiped out by a big floating rock in space, if we want to strive to survive as a race we must advance for a globalized government.

reply to post by centurion1211


Nice dreams with your Reaper.You must think that rest of the world is stupid or something,might be if you employ your toy on real thing rather than on plain desert you could brag about it.

Nice to see all that envy demonstrated from the rest of the world. Be nice and we might let you take a closer look at maybe the Paris Air Show.

Keep in mind that developing robotic warriors could ultimately have the positive effect of both taking people out of the kill and be killed business and if they get real good at it, war will become useless.

Also, please keep in mind that it is the U.S. military umbrella that in large part allows your countires to experiment with spending all your money on socialism, instead of having to pay for your own defense.

You're welcome (in advance).

Originally posted by harry1
reply to post by centurion1211

 

Nice dreams with your Reaper.You must think that rest of the world is stupid or something,might be if you employ your toy on real thing rather than on plain desert you could brag about it.

Today empty desert tomorrow their backyard.
Have you ever been to Aberdeen MD? They have a proving ground where they test out new “TOYS"
No one said it was a “miracle” weapon just yet another advancement. I think it’s impressive.

SLAY

reply to post by centurion1211


It sounds to me like more tax payer money been wasted in technology that do not fit the unconventional fighting in Iraq.

But then again it could be getting ready for the conflict to be pushed into Iran.

Originally posted by bodrul
reply to post by centurion1211

 

thank you very much for the privilage of being on your ignore list

not that you can read this, but its a comfort knowing that its one less
person who sreams anti US, or US bashing replying to me

god bless

also u get a star

There you go mate,he can read it now

I cant stand these drones,its playing xbox warfare with god mode on

I hope some computer geeks hack into these and and send them back to Nevada to give those cowards the payback they deserve

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by centurion1211

 

It sounds to me like more tax payer money been wasted in technology that do not fit the unconventional fighting in Iraq.

But then again it could be getting ready for the conflict to be pushed into Iran.

Marg, why do you say that? I think the Reaper is exactly what's needed for the asymmetrical warfare in Iraq. This machine can almost silently fly over an area for up to 24 hours just waiting for a "roach" to scurry out of its hole and then seconds later a missile or bomb is on the way. And as time goes on, these will become more and more autonomous - taking more and more U.S. military personnel out of the loop (but not the bad guys). That translates into less and less need for guys like your other half to be put in harms way.

reply to post by centurion1211


That is the problem is not like the fighters in Iraq are all over the place in site to be targeted, they are among the rest of the population and when they target the US soldiers usually is with road side bombs.

By the time soldiers become the target, the master minders are all happy back with their families eating their supper.

Now if you are talking about Afghanistan then that is another matter, but still the same applies.

Originally posted by noangels

I cant stand these drones,its playing xbox warfare with god mode on

I hope some computer geeks hack into these and and send them back to Nevada to give those cowards the payback they deserve

What, you yearn for "the good old days" where warfare was supposed to be a "fair fight"? I said supposed to be because only an extreme fool wants to go into battle with no advantages over his enemy. Warfare is all about defeating the enemy, not about giving them a "fair fight".

And your "cowards" label is much more appropriate for the Reaper's targets - the ones that plot to blow up innocent women and children on purpose, instead of soldiers that might defeat them in a "fair fight".

reply to post by marg6043


And that is the reason they are armed with precision guided weapons. To minimize so-called collateral damage. It wasn't that many years ago that the air force would have called on heavy bombers to carpet bomb an entire area in the hopes of getting a few bad guys.

You must be able to see that using the Reaper is far superior in terms of getting the desired results and minimizing civilian casualties to the point where there may even be none and the risk to U.S. military personnel.

And these aircraft are far cheaper to build and maintain than manned aircraft, which answers your cost worries.

[edit on 8/6/2008 by centurion1211]