RAF fly Predators against bad guys (almost)

[Navaleye]

From today's Telegraph. Oh and the Army are involved too for some reason.

Here. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/02/wpred02.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/02/ixnews.html)

[Bismark]

Why is he wearing flying ovies? Someone tell him they are pilotless!

[effortless]

Why is he wearing flying ovies? Someone tell him they are pilotless!
To soak up the Pizza juice and spilled coke of course. You know these gamers.

[Training Risky]

12 hrs locked in a dark room playing computer games, then stumbling out into the bright sun rubbing their eyes?

Sounds like a couple of 14 yr old Playstation addicts:p

(Must be hell living on the outskirts of Vegas!)

(And to separate a pilot from his growbag requires a long session in the CERN particle accelerator)

[Navaleye]

Bet the local Marriot is doing a roaring trade.

[BEagle]

Much as I dislike the concept of the Royal Aeromodelling Force, if a mate in Vegas manages to waste a few pieces of worthless $hit over in f*cknowswhereistan, then more power to his trigger finger!

But it would be a bit of a hollow victory if that odious little toe rag, bin Liner, was wasted by a Hellfire. I'd prefer to see him on worldwide TV kicking on the end of a rope where the WTC was before 9 Sep, then his miserable carcass left for scavengers to pick at.... Until no trace remained.

[SASless]

Amen Brother Beags! Amen!:D

[[email protected]]

I hear you. All praise the BEagle.:D

[soddim]

So diplomatically put BEagle. Should please the PC brigade enormously.

Congratulations on a revealing insight into the situation.

[Navaleye]

Yeah, I'm with BEags, don't mess with Royal Aeromodelling Force unless you think you're hard enuf.

[antipodean alligator]

Lucky Birdy isn't flying real jets anymore......All of that product holding up his quiff would play havoc with Oxygen!:ouch:

[ShyTorque]

Another of my ex-students hits the headlines, I see. What's that he's flying now? :confused:

Whew......PERVERT! :ugh:

[ChristopherRobin]

From today's Telegraph. Oh and the Army are involved too for some reason.

Here. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/02/wpred02.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/02/ixnews.html)

The Army are involved so they can do FAC and direction of (arty) fire. Oh and the small matter of actually having a f**cking clue what is happening on the ground with the troops they are flying over and integrating with them properly.

The royal artillery have been flying UAVs for years - the only reason the RAF are involved is because the predator requires a pilot to fly it unlike british in- and soon to be in-service UAVs that are point'n'click. The AAC, incidentally, were too busy with Apache to care at the time JTFP was formed.

Hilariously, I heard recently that the RAF has now stipulated that fast jet experience is an essential pre-requisite for flying predator (100 kts top end).

So no empire building there then. :yuk:

[CBA_caption]

Nellis to Iraq. That's one hell of a medium level transit!

CBA:ok:

[Just This Once...]

Nellis to Iraq. That's one hell of a medium level transit!
CBA:ok:

Yes I gather the EM Spectrum is rather tired on arrival.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

- how else is anyone to know he's a pilot?because half way through a date he'll say "Well enoough talking about me, let's talk about...flying" :p

[Mr C Hinecap]

Hilariously, I heard recently that the RAF has now stipulated that fast jet experience is an essential pre-requisite for flying predator (100 kts top end).
So no empire building there then. :yuk:

Such a shame that - I had a couple of SACs who worked for me who would be cheaper and just as effective! Damned Playstation generation. They'd not need flying pay either!

[GeeRam]

And the RN, if what the Torygraph says is to be believed!


Yup, I know a dark blue mate on his second year of his stint 'gaming' at Nellis.

[Spotting Bad Guys]

The Army are involved so they can do FAC and direction of (arty) fire.

Er...no. The Army personnel are doing the same job as their RAF, RN and USAF brethren, are not FAC-qualified (The Predator is not a declared FAC platform) and don't direct arty.

Without wishing to drag up the inter-service banter once again, given that the Predator is the same size as a Cessna 152, weighs about 2500lbs, flies in crowded middle airspace, sharing killboxes with manned aircraft, I for one am comfortable with having a rated pilot fly the thing rather than Gunner Bloggs with his point and click method. I actually don't care what service he/she comes from - it's capability that counts.

The last time I looked the pilot mix was about 50-50 FJ/ME but this may be outdated info.

SBG

[walter kennedy]

Beagle
Regarding your post “… if a mate in Vegas manages to waste a few pieces of worthless $hit over in f*cknowswhereistan, then more power to his trigger finger! …” etc:
.
Hardly a good time to be supporting the American view of the people in the middle east (what with al-Haditha looking like Pinkville2 ‘n all).
.
Also, the reference to the Hellfire missile in the context of trigger happy Americans is rather insensitive to the feelings of families of the 16 UK servicemen who lost their lives in GW1 in APCs as a result of the above combination.
.
As to your wish of seeing the “mastermind” hung on the site of the WTC, should this happen one would hope that the exact anniversary would be avoided as many New Yorkers with an interest may be out of town (again) during the Jewish New Year Holiday …

[SASless]

Walter dear boy,

I can assure you the hanging of Osama Bin Liner at the site of the WTC would draw an immense crowd of all faiths and nationalities. If televised it would beat the Superbowl by several orders of magnitude. A lot of fine New York kosher deli delights would be consumed along with plenty of adult malt beverage.

What is the connection to a Hellfire missile fired in Afghanistan, from a US Air Force Predator, crewed by British troops have to do with a Blue on Blue incident in Iraq during Gulf One?

Perhaps I missed your logic, but somehow I fear it is not me that has his knickers in a twist.

Can you help me out here Beags.....you understand what he is trying to say?

[BEagle]

The GW1 blue-on-blue was a totally different affair to lawful operation of a UCAV to eliminate terrorist scum.

As was the Blackhawk shoot down.

Do I understand Wally's logic? Nope.

The fact that there are a seemingly large number of Predators operational over Afghanistan is something which I find very comforting. Any one of those stone age murderers who crawl out of their holes in the rocks can expect a sudden - and terminal - meeting with a Hellfire or similar. Good - the sooner the better.

The report into the alleged Haditha incident has yet to be released - at this stage I am prepared to believe that it was an isolated incident rather than an insitutional or cultural failure in the entire Corps.

[Biggus]

Without meaning to be deliberately insensitive, if you are being picky then the GW1 blue-on-blue was a Maverick from an A-10 not a Hellfire from a UAV!

[Heimdall]

The argument over what background and qualifications are necessary to operate a UAV like Predator is exercising many in the US military. Before long the current USAF position of using only military qualified pilots will start to appear rather unnecessary when the US Army bring Warrior, a version of Predator, into service operated by enlisted men. Both the US Marine Corps and US Navy have plans to operate larger UAVs and do not intend to use highly qualified military aircrew to undertake these duties.

Understandably with the introduction of 1115 Flt the RAF have followed the USAF practice of using qualified aircrew, but will presumably suffer from the same drain of experience when these individuals return to ‘normal’ flying duties. I think the RAF should consider establishing a dedicated group of volunteers, drawn from both aircrew, and possibly suitably qualified Ops Spt ATC / FC personnel, to remain on UAV duties permanently. However, I daresay the ‘brevet Mafia’ will howl in protest at the thought of non-aircrew being so closely involved in such activity, in much the same way as the argument persists over the use of FC personnel on the E-3D, despite the fact that as qualified fighter controllers they seem eminently qualified for the task and have more than proved their worth over the years.

Two articles that cover the topic of who should operate a UAV that might be of interest can be found at the following links:

www.spyflight.co.uk/whoflies.htm
www.spyflight.co.uk/uavops2.htm

Heimdall

[roush]

I understand that 1115Flt is a joint service setup, but does anyone know what trades are involved and in what posts?

[Always_broken_in_wilts]

32 years of experiance tell me that only pilots will ever "fly" anything so all those non pilot types out there with aspirations in this direction...........forget it:ugh:

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

[Man B]

Admittedly this is coming from a friend of a friend etc etc.................but IMHO a trusted and honourable source............one of our gallant Predator pilots (note the lack of a mention for anyone else on the crew - situation normal) may be getting a gong (AFC/DFC?) for nursing his aircraft safely back to base after it's engine decided to quit (or something equally dramatic) many miles from homeplate - and anything else for that matter. Sat out here in the middle of the desert I'm wondering hhhhmmmmmmmmmmm - anyone out there have the gen?