The Drone Wars

In Sci-Fi, drones are almost always humanoid robots for ground combat, leaving for humans the role of fighter pilots. However, in real world, it seems like it will be the air the first reign ruled by the machines.

Last war in Gaza and, mostly, the Afghan campaign, have shown being a perfect lab test for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Until now, they just made surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but they are starting attacking ground objectives too.

In this last scenario, critics against Pakistani and American governments have arisen along with the increase of the operations of the killer drones. They operate now in border zones between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Until now, the policy was don’t-ask,-don’t-tell.

But the late civilian casualties made by the attacks are heating up the inks of Pakistani bloggers. Enough is enough, for them. In the end, America is supposed to be using Pakistan soil to attack Afghan Talibans, not Pakistanis.

The central Asian government has already urged the US to stop these attacks. But taking into consideration other words -and facts like the creation of a Pakistani independent commando to designate targets to the drones-, all that looks more like internal marketing more than a real complain.

The offense has gone further since rumors came along about the possibility of that the attacks on Pakistan where launched from the own Pakistani soil. Many felt then that their own government was selling them and making easier the job of killing Pakistanis in their own land, like blogger Teeth Maestro:

Drones parked in our own backyard, to Bomb our own People

For now the Government of Pakistan has a lot of explaining to do and just mere diversion tactics towards Musharraf might alone not help their case.

The final offense came alter knowing that for sure Pakistan had have drones operating from its own air bases. The squealer has been Google Earth. In an image from 2006 we can see at least three drones -the article identifies them as Global Hawks, but they are more likely Predators- outside in an air base in Balochistan, near Iranian border. Images from 2009 doesn’t show any drone, but they show more buildings and constructions.

Whatever it is, what it is for sure is that UAVs’ industry is set to deal with the financial crisis better than others. Israel, an expert in UAVs, was already during the summer selling unmanned vehicles to Georgia and probable they will do so with Rusia (define irony). Iran, on the other hand, goes locally -as usual- and recently announced a new own model able to reach the Jewish country. Industry revenue in numbers worldwide is estimated in $62 billions during the next ten years. And the projects go into new waters.

Of course, these robots are not subjected to Asimov laws. If only, to Adam Smith’s.


PS. Extra: The most famous mercenary company in the world changes its name. Goodbye Blackwater, hello “Xe”. PR. Although on the light of the new contracts, it may seems that neither they will suffer the financial crisis. Not much, at least.

Photo: Battlestar Galactica (Universal)





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