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CBS video on UAVs
- Thread starter KCOTT
- Start date
Good clip
Well, not sure what motivates the dudes in Air Force UPT these days - but, I will admit there is something I found on the above link that motivated us guys who wanted to sit "in" the jet. I believe this is it
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5006832n
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5006832n
flyn4pride
ENS
I will admit that was quite an interesting video to see what the program is actually all about, but not something I am interested in doing anytime soon.
i feel the same way
it's like cool, but not interested in doing that (just yet at least)
The reward for those guys is more warheads on fo'heads than most of us will ever see (including practice)... Sometimes you pick your job, other times it picks you. Plus livin in Vegas wouldn't be all that bad. I wonder if they're pigeon-holed to the UAV career path, or do they get a flying tour for their penance? Good vid though
A Ryan tech rep gave me a bumper sticker back in the seventies that said "Assault drones are fearless." Ryan was trying to sell the Navy on the idea of armed BQM-34s. Guess it took a few years for the technology to catch up.
Good point - don't mean to take anything away from the guys/girls who do that job. Putting iron on bad guys is the most honorable of jobs, whatever form it takes.
Still though, can't help but think that this career field may attract a different crowd than the days of old ............ not sayin worse or better, but certainly different.
I went through primary with some guys that ended up getting UAV's (up at Vance). Up there, UAV's were taboo as hell... Everyone was deathly afraid of getting them. I can't say I blame them, but the platform certainly has its advantages.
For those that want to have a good family life and be as involved as possible in the war effort, this seems like the perfect way to go. 1530 you are taking out some Al Qaida, an hour later you are at your home in suburbia having dinner with your wife and kids. Pretty unbelievable when you think about it.
Seems like an incredibly versatile platform... 15 hours of loiter time? Wow. The part that really caught my attention is when they had a UAV stand watch over some sleeping troops on the ground... Awesome.
I think i'd still opt to be IN the aircraft at this point though.
For those that want to have a good family life and be as involved as possible in the war effort, this seems like the perfect way to go. 1530 you are taking out some Al Qaida, an hour later you are at your home in suburbia having dinner with your wife and kids. Pretty unbelievable when you think about it.
Seems like an incredibly versatile platform... 15 hours of loiter time? Wow. The part that really caught my attention is when they had a UAV stand watch over some sleeping troops on the ground... Awesome.
I think i'd still opt to be IN the aircraft at this point though.
Great post. Enjoyed the video.
Is there anybody else who wishes we wouldn't continuously tell the world, and our enemies about all the cool stuff we can use to kill them? Not to say they wouldn't figure some of this stuff out but I would be content sitting in the dark and just knowing we are getting the job done without CBS broadcasting to our enemies how we do it.
Is there anybody else who wishes we wouldn't continuously tell the world, and our enemies about all the cool stuff we can use to kill them? Not to say they wouldn't figure some of this stuff out but I would be content sitting in the dark and just knowing we are getting the job done without CBS broadcasting to our enemies how we do it.
They're also great for watching the soccer game in Kabul when nothing is going on.
Brett
<chuckle> or watching a pack of ten year olds having a rumble somewhere south of Baghdad. That is, until someone from "higher" phoned to say cut it out and look at something else...
gaijin6423
Ask me about ninjas!
Without them, the fight would be even more difficult than it already is. I think what the video doesn't (and probably couldn't, for several reasons) is the kind detailed behind the scenes stuff that goes on. Maintenance, data link, airspace, sheer demand, and other issues aside, one of the things we dealt with on a regular basis as end users was the sensor operator. Don't get me wrong, they're very good at their job, but often times, they're only as good as the directions that they're given. There did seem to be a bit of a tendency for them to want to execute their standard search patterns, or investigate something they wanted to, instead of play follow-the-guy-on-the-donkey. Just like with most things, though, they were awesome when they were given the information to do their job.
I'm not saying that it's valid or invalid, but I would also point out that there was an article floating about last summer (I think) about Pred/Reaper folks who were claiming PTSD or similar symptoms. The yut yut side of me wants to go Gen Patton on them, having lived in the shitty conditions that many do over there. But the more I thought about it, the more I kind of thought that it could mess with you, passing the controls after killing dudes, so that you can go pick up the daughter at soccer practice. I wonder if, in that respect, the austere conditions and separation actually enable people to compartmentalize and do the job at least a little bit better? Like I said, I'm neither agreeing nor disagreeing with their claims, but it's something to consider.
I'm not saying that it's valid or invalid, but I would also point out that there was an article floating about last summer (I think) about Pred/Reaper folks who were claiming PTSD or similar symptoms. The yut yut side of me wants to go Gen Patton on them, having lived in the shitty conditions that many do over there. But the more I thought about it, the more I kind of thought that it could mess with you, passing the controls after killing dudes, so that you can go pick up the daughter at soccer practice. I wonder if, in that respect, the austere conditions and separation actually enable people to compartmentalize and do the job at least a little bit better? Like I said, I'm neither agreeing nor disagreeing with their claims, but it's something to consider.