Non-pilots to operate Army robot planes

Military pilots aren’t too happy with plans for the US Army to allow non-pilots to take control of their powerful drone combat aircraft such as the Sky Warrior. Ordinarily, Predators and Reapers are handled by a qualified and skilled pilot on the ground during landing and takeoff in the theater of war, while flying missions are controlled via satellite by pilots who normally reside in America. The US Army sees this move of not using qualified pilots to handle the flight of robot planes as a cost-cutting measure, leaving plenty of Air Force pilots feeling angry and worried about the Army’s plans. After all, their argument lies in the fact that one needs to be a rater aviator before lethal force can be applied – something folks without wings on their chests were trained to do. War isn’t a video game after all. What do you think?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Military, Transportation