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The Air Force recently announced plans to swap out manned fighter aircraft in Iraq with its newest fighter pilot replacement, the MQ-9 Reaper from the 42nd Attack Squadron based at Creech (remember that asshole?) AFB, NV. Roughly the size of an A-10, and weighing in at over 10,000 pounds, the Reaper can deliver a smörgåsbord of precision-guided stuff including Hellfires and GBU-12's.
"Today we are in an environment where we may not need the large number or persistence of manned aircraft," said LT Gen Gary North, the USAF MFWIC in the Middle East. "There are periods where we've gone a week to ten days without having to release a single kinetic attack, and that is a real success story," he said, referring to bombing enemy targets. "Will we need to have manned kinetic capability to respond either with overhead or ground alert? The answer is yes, for a period of time," he said.
"Kinetic attacks" and "kinetic capability"? WTFO??? Obviously political correctness has infested the USAF to the point of no return - didn't we used to call it "old-fashioned whup-ass?" Worse, these Reapers are flown by a "two man crew" back at Creech AFB (the former Indian Springs AFB) - two guys sipping java and working a mouse and a monitor in pleathor lounge chairs, no doubt looking good with their neatly-pressed silk scarves.
My prediction? Twenty years from now manned CAS will be a thing of the past. But as efficient as drones may be, they are incapable of emotion and can't yell out "Shack!" when they toast some Al-Qaeda asshole, so what's the point? And who will they call when they have a problem - some dude in Bangalore?
I dunno. I've heard that once you get assigned to a drone squadron that's it - you don't go back to fighters...I feel bad for the guys. Who'da thunk flying T-37's at UPT would be a choice assignment for an ALFA tour?
I realize you're probably already aware of this, but they're taking F-15 wingman and putting them in this permanent job. Ouch. We need to start a civilian contract company to fly these things. This is perfect for a fat old man like me. I could sit it my basement, datalinked, near the beer fridge. "Hmmm, what are those assholes burying by that road? Eat this, bitches. Oh dear, time to start the grill."
Rolls
The F/O I just flew with, his F-16 reserve sqdn is transitioning to...drones!
Yea, I already got the joystick... and can fly the bejesus out of a FW-190, Me-109, P-51 etc... on Microsoft Air Combat! So how hard could it be to fly one of those drones at 45000 feet and 30 degree bank turns? Though there is always the risk of greying out at 1 G, I think I still got a couple good years left.... this is definitely a contract - out job for all us has-been fighter / now frustrated airline guys!
So you think these guys practice "chair flying" their chair-flown missions?
Do they go the O Club on fridays, or just play an on-line version of crud, too?
Mongo