14 DAY TRIAL // This has to be the most realistic flight simulator in the world, though it is not used to entertain youth, but to possibly kill them. The Reaper drone is the unmanned aircraft that will deliver one and tons of bombs on Iraqi soil while being controlled by an operator sitting comfortably at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada.
More and more scientists, militarists, and governments are investing large amounts of resources in an intriguing, futuristic technology: fleets of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The main reason for investing in UAV technology lies in the replacement of the traditional, open battleground with the urban theater of war.
The US Army seems to agree with this idea, especially since the number of casualties in Iraq is continuously rising, so they plan to use "hunter-killer" drones, in aviation history's first robot attack squadron, to be deployed in Iraq for the first time.
MQ-9 Reaper is a drone the size of a jet fighter, equipped with a similar turbojet engine, that can reach speeds of 300 mph (480 km/h) and can fly at a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet (15 240 meters). Equipped with radar, laser and infrared targeting, it will be able to carry 1.5 tons of bombs and guided missiles.
The Army did not disclose the date of the attack, as it wants to fly low on this one, but has admitted that this is more than just a futuristic project, and will be used in the very near future. Around a dozen unmanned MQ-1 Predators, similar applications, are now doing surveillance over Iraq, so attack drones were the logical step forward.
"We're still working that," Lt. Gen. Gary North said in an interview, referring to the date. "With more Reapers, I could send manned airplanes home," North said, explaining the use of the drone.
However, no one mentioned recalling both droned and manned aircraft from the battlefield. Or how it feels to pilot this bomber from the other side of the ocean, and to look at the houses of your next victims through a game console, before pushing a button on the joystick.