Predator: The Remote-Control air war over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot Story
The Nintendo generation has taken to Iraq battlefields and Afghanistan, where remote-controlled aircraft America’s kill enemies and save American lives.
Matt J. Martin is considered a “Top Gun” in the world of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For almost four years he has flown hundreds of missions on two warfronts in a new kind of combat that until recently was largely classified Top Secret. He and his colleagues Predator pilots are actively involved in virtually every facet of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan tracking Osama bin Laden; capturing top al-Qaeda leader al-Zarqawi; battle with US Marines in Fallujah; and rescue aid workers kidnapped in Afghanistan by the Taliban.
This is Matt J. Martin’s story and that of his aircraft, the 27-foot tall Predator.
List Price: $ 28.00
Customer Reviews
Fascinating look into the Remote- Control Air Warfare!
This review is from: Predator: The Remote-Control air war over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot Story (Hardcover)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) , also known as remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs), have played an increasingly influential role in the air war. initially used only for photo recce, its UAVs become armed sentries, endless circling over battlefields until their pilots, usually located side of the world, unleashing deadly Hellfire missiles, JDAMs or other munitions. Lieutenant Colonel Matt Martin, a veteran UAV, and Charles Sasser describe the remote air war over Iraq and Afghanistan in this fascinating Zenith Press Release.
Martin, a USAF RC-135 navigator desire to be a pilot, as a volunteer for UAV training, learning the Predator flies in 2004. Martin then logged Predator combat missions, helping locate coalition forces – and end – al Qaeda and the Taliban baddies backed Special Ops missions, etc .. He later commanded -Predator equipped 46 Squadron Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron stationed in Iraq.
While other books on UAVs are out there, Martin’s book gives an insider’s view of how the Predator has been developed and transformed over the years and its use in the fight with the mentality and experiences of a predator pilot. As confirmed in Martin’s book, Predator missions are not bloodless video games; UAV operators can very clearly their objectives and what happens to them when a Hellfire touches you. Martin presents his experiences against the backdrop of the Gulf wars, providing some insightful analysis of events past and present in those troubled countries.
In short, predator ‘pulls back the curtains on what is a very secret part of the air war in Iraq / Afghanistan and gives the reader a glimpse into how the air wars to be fought in the future. Recommended.
*********** FYI. Last-minute changes to the text as a result of security concerns have typos is produced throughout the book. Headquarters, for example, is encoded in HeadBobbys!?! Zenith has offered to replace defective copies by adjusted expenditure.
A view from the cockpit American revolutionary remote-controlled vehicle
this review is from: Predator: the Remote-Control air war over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot Story (Hardcover)
Through the 1990s and 2000s, the world witnessed revolutions in warfare. in the 1990s, the United States Air Force the world to Global Atomic’s MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). in this war, what went unnoticed was the revolution Air Force in the battle of a garrison unit. strike pilots would their Italian houses abandoned well before sunrise, to plan and carry out strike missions in the Balkans, and then return to their families. This new pattern broke the tradition of the warriors secluding in a war zone. This isolation of families fighters would be able to use peers as a support group to help cope with the horrors of battle. With these revolutions of the 1990s, the latest generation of Air Force pilots strike deprived of the support group. Instead, they face a psychological dichotomy of trying a loving, stable family to provide live and cope with the psychological trauma of death. “Predator: The Remote-control air war over Iraq and Afghanistan,” by Lieutenant Colonel Matt Martin and Charles Sasser, offers a glimpse into how these have changed forever the two revolutions of the 1990s Combat
. General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an incredible new opportunity for the US and allied forces. This ultimate high ground, commanders can see or track targets without the slightest hint of the presence of the aircraft. Major Martin, one of the Predator pilots, shares insights into how the Predator weapon system supports many of the important periods of the recent Iraqi and Afghan history. His stories range from the humorous to the sad. Yet the common thread through all his experiences was the life he shared with his wife, Ruby. In one of his stories, Martin shares how are armed Predator engaged a goal and accidentally slain a bystander. Readers learn how he fought with the remorse of taking an innocent life. His personal perspectives of this experience will delete all credence to the concept that the Predator represents “robot warfare”.
This book is important because it provides first-person account of how this revolutionary system is used in the struggle, and Martin’s insights into how to partition mentally to fight the psychological trauma of the long distance . More importantly, the book was an easy read. I recommend this book to the library every military historian.
Interesting and timely book
This review is: Predator: the Remote-Control air war over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot Story (Hardcover)
the Predator is the signature weapon system War on Terror (on our side, the IED with the signature weapon of the enemy). This book is an attractive and interesting first-hand from a USAF Predator pilot. The author does a nice job of explaining the strange situation in which a Predator pilot kills with the remote control and then go home, picking up some groceries on the way.
While a good book, it has some flaws that prevent it from being an excellent book. At various points in the book, the author provides an overview of the “big picture” in the theater. It’s pretty much repetitive, and presumably the readers of this book will already know something about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The book would have benefited greatly from a more detailed description of the Predator weapon.
More interesting drone books here.
