Members of the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron from Indian Springs, Nev., perform pre-flight checks on the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle prior to a mission, in this file photo shot at an undisclosed location. In the rugged mountains of western Pakistan, missiles launched by unmanned Predator or Reaper drones have become so commonplace that some U.S counterterrorism officials liken them to "cannon fire." Photograph by: Handout, U.S. Air Force/ReutersUnmanned Aerial Vehicles Changing The Face Of War -- Vancouver Sun, Post Media News
It was May 2008 and Matt Martin was trying to locate a group of insurgent snipers shooting at a construction crew working for the United States military in Iraq.
The sensors on the aircraft he was flying quickly zeroed in on the sniper nest and Martin, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. air force, pressed a button to launch a missile, killing the gunmen almost instantly.
After landing his aircraft, Martin left the seat of the cockpit and jumped into a rental car to drive to the Las Vegas airport, grab a burger, and then catch a flight back to see his wife on the U.S. East Coast.
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My Comment: This is a review of a new book that details a UAV pilot’s viewpoint on the Iraq and Afghan wars. From my tentative look at it .... it looks very interesting.