The US Air Force, which has 3,700 fighter and 900 bomber pilots, will for the first time this year train more pilots to fly drones than fighters and bombers.

June 16, 2009, (Sawf News) - The US Air Force, which has 3,700 fighter and 900 bomber pilots, will for the first time this year train more pilots to fly drones than fighters and bombers.

The service currently has 550 drone pilots but needs many more as the importance and benefits of persistent airborne surveillance become increasingly evident from its Iraq and Afghanistan experience.

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who took over Monday as top commander in Afghanistan, told senators earlier this month that drones facilitate precision attacks and reduce collateral loss of civilian life, adding that he couldn't envision a day when he has enough surveillance assets.

"The capability provided by the unmanned aircraft is game-changing," Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, told USA Today in an e-mailed statement. "We can have eyes 24/7 on our adversaries. The importance of that is clear in the feedback from the ground troops - this is a capability they don't want to be without."

It is ironic that the Indian armed forces are just waking up to the use of drones despite having fought insurgency in Kashmir for the past 25 years.

It is also interesting to note that DRDO has never shown great interest in developing drones preferring to focus on more glamorous ventures such as developing top of line fighters and nuclear submarines, when what the country needed was drones.

A recent report that the India has entered into a $100 million deal to buy HAROP Loitering Munition (LM) from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is a step in the right direction.

Launched from transportable platforms a HAROP can loiter over a target area for six hours, using its high performance FLIR and color CCD with 360 degrees hemispherical coverage to search for an identify targets.

It additionally carries a 50 lb (23kg) high explosive warhead that allows an operator to attack a target from any angle.

The operator monitors the attack until the target is hit, allowing for an abort anytime in order to avoid collateral damage. It can then make another attack run.

The Indian Army has been left red faced many times as terrorists used the difficult terrain in Jammu region to escaped unharmed even after being surrounded by troops. A weapon system like the HAROP will ensure that does not happen.

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