Drones Essay

Before we get started on the evolution of drones, you should get a better understanding of what exactly they are and their uses in today’s world. What is a drone? A drone is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is pretty much a more advanced Rc plane, it is controlled and used from a controller/computer. The CIA director George Tenet approved uses of drones after the attacks that a cured on 9/11.
The most popular drone that the US uses is the General Atomics MQ – 1 predator. The US has more of these drones than any other. When they were first made they were solely for reconnaissance but now they carry a payload. The first drones deployed to Afghanistan were predators less than a month after 9/11. The second most popular drone is the MQ – 9 Reaper, it is larger than the MQ- 1 and can carry a bigger payload. They started making them in 2007.
Where do we send them too? We send most of our drones to Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia but we also have some in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. Drone strikes are stronger than you would think. The MQ – 1 can carry two hellfire missiles that way about 20 pounds. They are able to pierce most armored vehicles. The reason we use MQ -1’s is how accurate they are. They do not have a lot of collateral damage because they are more of a précis missile. The reaper on the other hand has a payload of up to 3,000 pounds and can carry hellfire’s and bombs up to 500 pounds.

The blast radius of one of the MQ - 1 is up to 200 feet and it is a 50% that you will survive the blast. The closer you get to the blast the more likely the odds of you dyeing is. According to the Conflict Monitoring Center, in 2011 alone the CIA fired 242 Hellfire missiles in Pakistan, and at a cost of $68,000, that means the agency spent at ...

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...ets through cameras and often deal with boredom and fatigue that can lead to mistakes.
The military believes drones that identify targets would prevent attacks on incorrect targets and prevent accidents. However, there are no guarantees that machines would be any better at identifying targets than a human.
One of my favorite new drones they are making is a large, cow-like machine that would be able to carry supplies and would follow a squad of soldiers over almost any type of terrain. The military also uses unmanned vehicles to investigate improvised explosive devices. I wouldn’t be surprised if in two or three decades we see robotic infantry or robotic cops on our own soil
The idea of a machine that can think about targets is kind of scary. Machines are meant to be controlled by humans, not flying the friendly skies searching for the next target to blow up.