Obama, King of the Drones

[CountDeMoney]

The college I teach at is going to offer a UAV course.

So sleep well at night. The drones are gonna be flown by Community College grads.

Considering they're being flown by high school grads now, having an Intro to Western Civ under their belt should provide more well-roundedness to the CAP circles.

[AnchorClanker]

Unarmed models, but not the armed ones.  You need an officer to have trigger authority.

[Ed Anger]

Maybe I can parley my AAS degree into some sweet, sweet trigger time.

[AnchorClanker]

Maybe I can parley my AAS degree into some sweet, sweet trigger time.

  Maybe.  I've heard Army warrants are flying some as well... for the same reasons that they are flying the choppers.
Have commissioned officer status, cheaper than LTs.   

I think the USAF allows NCOs to fly the unarmed versions, but if it's packin' a Hellfire, it's an officer's flight.

[Ed Anger]

Euro: I just watched a documentary on channel 3 and you Americans and your....what is that noise? *boom*
Ed the headless Thompson gunner: DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE! Where are the powerups?

[PDH]

Considering they're being flown by high school grads now, having an Intro to Western Civ under their belt should provide more well-roundedness to the CAP circles.

Western Civ is only for the officers.

[Tonitrus]

Maybe I can parley my AAS degree into some sweet, sweet trigger time.

  Maybe.  I've heard Army warrants are flying some as well... for the same reasons that they are flying the choppers.
Have commissioned officer status, cheaper than LTs.   

I think the USAF allows NCOs to fly the unarmed versions, but if it's packin' a Hellfire, it's an officer's flight.

As I understand it, the usual configuration is an officer pilot and enlisted sensor operator (thought about retraining into that job).

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

  Maybe.  I've heard Army warrants are flying some as well... for the same reasons that they are flying the choppers.
Have commissioned officer status, cheaper than LTs.   

I think the USAF allows NCOs to fly the unarmed versions, but if it's packin' a Hellfire, it's an officer's flight.

I thought the driver behind the Army putting warrants in their pilot's seats is that warrants don't have the pressure to move up the ranks, and thus out of the pilot's seat.  The Army was losing quite a few chopper pilots who joined Army Aviation primarily because they wanted to fly, and as soon as they were forced to rotate into a ground job they quit to go fly civvie choppers.

[AnchorClanker]

Maybe I can parley my AAS degree into some sweet, sweet trigger time.

  Maybe.  I've heard Army warrants are flying some as well... for the same reasons that they are flying the choppers.
Have commissioned officer status, cheaper than LTs.   

I think the USAF allows NCOs to fly the unarmed versions, but if it's packin' a Hellfire, it's an officer's flight.

As I understand it, the usual configuration is an officer pilot and enlisted sensor operator (thought about retraining into that job).

Yes, for the USAF.  Not sure about the Army.

[AnchorClanker]

  Maybe.  I've heard Army warrants are flying some as well... for the same reasons that they are flying the choppers.
Have commissioned officer status, cheaper than LTs.   

I think the USAF allows NCOs to fly the unarmed versions, but if it's packin' a Hellfire, it's an officer's flight.

I thought the driver behind the Army putting warrants in their pilot's seats is that warrants don't have the pressure to move up the ranks, and thus out of the pilot's seat.  The Army was losing quite a few chopper pilots who joined Army Aviation primarily because they wanted to fly, and as soon as they were forced to rotate into a ground job they quit to go fly civvie choppers.

That's part of it, and it's also that WOs are cheaper than JOs. 

[Neil]

Killing civilians is the future of warfare.

[Siege]

I can't wait for robotic infantry.
I can be a 70 year old dude in front of cozy computer leading a robotic squad into a building by remote, killing moonslimbs by scores.
I can also have a cheap kamikaze robot walking into an enemy safehouse.

We brings up the point that suicide bombers and muslims in general are nothing more than biological drones.
Mechanical drones need a computer to receive orders, muslim drones only need a guy with an speaker at the local mosq.

[Neil]

Not only is that never going to happen (technology won't get there, it'll be too expesnsive, and you'll never be an officer), but also the Muslims will have won long before you get that old.

[Siege]

Not only is that never going to happen (technology won't get there, it'll be too expesnsive, and you'll never be an officer), but also the Muslims will have won long before you get that old.

You failed to address my "biological drones" argument.
Disappointing.

[CountDeMoney]

You're a biological drone.  With no semen.