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Article: Afghanistan US prepares drones, ending era of jet pilots.
- Article from:
- TendersInfo
- Article date:
- August 24, 2009
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Byline: datta003
As part of an expanding programme of battlefield automation, the US Air Force has said it is now training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots and signalled that the end of the era of the fighter pilot is in sight, the Guardian reported on Sunday.
In a controversial shift in military thinking one encouraged by the now-confirmed death of Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in a drone-strike on August 5 the US air force is looking to hugely expand its fleet of unmanned aircraft by 2047. Just three years ago, the service was able to fly just 12 drones at a time; now it can fly more than 50. At a trade conference outside ...