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(More customer reviews)When the United States Air Force was set up independently from the United States Army (as the Army Air Corps which fought World War II) an agreement was made that the Army would no longer have any armed fixed wing aircraft. So even though the Army has had a number of aircraft that would have been suitable for arming they were prohibited.
This has caused considerable friction, as the Air Force has concentrated its efforts on the strategic aspects with concentrations on long range nuclear armed forces at the expense of the tactical ground support that the Army needs. The Army countered with arming its helicopters because they hadn't been considered in the original agreement.
The Air Force likewise has traditionally not supported drone aircraft. After all, the way for promotions in the Air Force is to fly planes in combat situations.
The realities of the situation in Afghanistan has forced some changes in these areas. For the first time there was a wide use of drone observation craft. On occassion these drones found targets that U.S. forces wanted to attack, but by the time a piloted aircraft could arrive to make the attack, the target was gone. Over opposition permission was given to hang some smart weapons on the drones. They were extremely successful.
This book does an excellent job of describing the development of drones since the 1940's. He reports on these early attempts at creating armed drones. He further gives a good introduction on the new craft that are under development.
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Nowhere in the world of military technology is the transition from science fiction to science fact more astounding than in the dark world of autonomous aerial combat vehicles. Before there were autonomous war machines, there were unmanned war machines. After a brief history of unmanned aerial vehicles, we reach the autumn of 2001. At that time, unmanned, remotely-piloted reconnaissance aircraft were first adapted for offensive combat operations. However, even at that time, work was already progressing on the first generation of combat aircraft that could both fly AND fight without crews.- Latest technology in the quest for the "robotic battlefield"- Subject of a "PBS" documentary and "History Channel" specials- Another key anti-terrorist weapon (and so far, very successful)About the AuthorBill Yenne is the author of more than three dozen books, mainly on historical topics. Before turning to a career as an author, Mr. Yenne was a nationally-recognized artist and illustrator. His illustrations have appeared in a number of national magazines, including Rolling Stone, and several of his paintings are in the official collection of the US Air Force. He is the author of the 2003 title The American Brewery, also from MBI Publishing Company. He lives in San Francisco, California.
