Military Drones: 10 Cool Facts & Good to Know Information

The military has instituted the use of drones to do a lot of the aerial missions that are just too dangerous for pilots and the others in manned planes. Also, drones can take added risks because no person is endangered.

In today’s post, I am going to share 10 cool facts about military drones.

I believe you will enjoy this post; I know I am enjoying researching it.

Military Drones: Top 10 Cool Facts

# 1: The Military Term

While shortened to drone, the actual term is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). And the whole system with controls and launcher is called an unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

# 2: Primary Use Now

Military drones could be used for surveillance, there is a strong privacy battle against such uses.

The primary use of military drones at this point in time is the targeting and killing of enemy combatants around the globe. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the overseer of this program which takes place in countries such as

Afghanistan
Pakistan
Somalia
Etc…

This is done by attached cameras and missiles.

# 3: Drones With The Best Endurance

Developing drones that can stay in the skies for long periods of time are an important factor for the military.

There are new developments often and testing being done daily. But at this time, these are the 5 military drones with the best endurance in order:

Global Observer Stratospheric Persistent UAS – 168 hours
Orion Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) – 120 hours
United 40 (Smart Eye 2) UAV – 120 hours
Yabon Smart Eye UAV – 120 hours
Phantom Eye HALE UAS – 4 days

The primary drone used by the United States military, The Predator, has an endurance of 40 hours.

But, the United States military does have a bigger, deadlier and faster drone in the skies now…

# 4: The Reaper

Known as the Hunter – Killer… Here is a comparison chart thanks to Fast Company.

# 5: Military Drone Operators

In the United States Army, drone operators have the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 15W.

Do not get the idea that this Army job is like playing a video game though. There is much more to it. Some of the duties and requirements include:

Preparing drones for launch
Perform basic maintenance
and Interpret the images and video feeds from the drone

Training is long and intensive, about 21 weeks where the soldier learns principles of flight as well as the intelligence side of the job.

# 6: The Inventor Of The Predator

The inventor of the military’s feared killing drone, the Predator, is Abraham Karem who owns and operates Karem Aircraft Inc. in Lake Forest, California.

# 7: Drones Currently used By The United States Military

I have already told you about the MQ-9 Reaper and the MQ-1B Predator, but the other drones used by the military include:

# 8: Who Led The Way With The Military Drone Idea?

The first thought of a combat drone came out in a 1940 edition of Popular Mechanics.

In 1973, a nuclear physicist by the name of John Stuart Foster Jr started working on the idea and drew up plans. In 1973, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency built 2 prototypes that stayed in flight for 2 hours and carried 28 pounds.

# 9: First Use In War

In the Yom Kippur War of 1973… Israel against Egypt… Israel used United States target drones to entice Egypt to fire all their anti-aircraft missiles. Israel then used the depletion to their advantage.

# 10: A New Type Of PTSD

It is called post traumatic stress syndrome.

It is a recognized issue with soldiers coming home from war torn areas. The killing causes serious issues that can lead to marriage and family issues, work problems and sometimes suicide.

But who would think that a person operating a drone from miles away could have PTSD?

It can, and does happen. Killing people is difficult and even though you are miles away, you still know you took the life of a son, husband, brother or father. No matter what, killing is not natural. It is a must, but it is not we, as humans, were designed to do.

So if you are a 15W or you know a 15W who is showing signs of PTSD, please seek help. We want you to be able to have a normal life like the rest of us and you deserve the help.

‘Nuff’ said. Because you know we value you and the service you gave.

Final Thoughts

What are your thoughts on using military drones in warfare? It does seem to be a heated debate and I would like to hear all sides… Just be respectful with your comments. Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoyed this post… If you did, please share it. Thank you.

Military Drones: 10 Cool Facts